Amsterdam Shopping
Amsterdam has a wealth of shopping options and shopping districts selling everything from antiques to luxury goods to used books. If you want it, you can buy it here. Here’s a look.
Museums in Berlin
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The collections of Berlin’s 170 museums span time from antiquity to the present and reflect Germany’s past. 19th-century German archaeologists played a leading role uncovering some of the ancient world’s greatest treasures, a selection of which can be seen here. In the 20th Century, Germany’s Bauhaus was the center of high modernism before the Nazi’s expelled its founders and closed its school.
Berlin also played a role in the biggest moments of the 20th century: World War II, the Holocaust and the construction and destruction of the Iron Curtain. You’ll find museums in Berlin dedicated to those events, too. Here’s a preview:
Historic Landmarks in Italy
credit: jonrawlinson
Italy is one of the countries in the world which is richest with historical landmarks for visitors to explore. Each different city throughout Italy has its own must-see landmarks which reveal the history of that particular location and the history of the country as a whole. If you’re going to be taking a tour of the entire country, you’ll want to make sure that you organize your itinerary in advance of the trip. If you don’t, you’ll surely miss out on some of Italy’s best landmarks. There are just so many to see that it’s easy to overlook some if you’re in a hurry to try to fit everything in.
Here’s a quick list of the major historic landmarks that you’ll want to see in cities across Italy:
Sightseeing in Rome
credit: WTL photos
Taking a trip to Italy is an amazing experience. However, it can also be a frustrating trip to plan. That’s because there is such an immense number of things that you’ll want to see in Italy and you simply won’t want to seem them all. Many visitors opt to focus their sights on just one Italian city in order to be able to immerse themselves in their vacation without getting completely overwhelmed. For a great number of Italy’s visitors, the place of focus becomes Rome.
Top Landmarks in London
credit: Simone Hudson
When you get the opportunity to take a vacation to London, you should take advantage of it. This modern city is rich with history. That history has greatly impacted the United States and the rest of the world over the years and makes London a place that’s important for people from all nations to visit. Any basic tour guide will take you to all of the major spots that you’re going to want to see but you can also see most of their on your own if that’s your style.
Top Landmarks in Naples
credit: Bryce Edwards
Where do you think of visiting if you imagine that you are going to take a trip to Italy? Do you dream of checking out the canals of Venice? Do you picture yourself enjoying the fashion capital of Milan? Are you the kind of person that would book a tour through the historic landmarks in Rome? Or perhaps you envision yourself wandering through the art history of Florence? It’s hard to narrow down your choices for an Italian vacation. But perhaps you should think about going to an area of Italy that isn’t as likely to be the first place that you think of when you plan an Italian vacation. Maybe you should think about going to Naples.
Amsterdam Art Galleries
There is no shortage of sights to see when you take a vacation to Amsterdam. You could spend hours just wandering around the city itself, taking in the unique architecture that sets Amsterdam apart from other cities throughout the world. However, if you’ve got the kind of eye that appreciates this beauty, you’ll want to make sure that you use it to take in all that there is to see at the art galleries located in Amsterdam.
The art galleries in Amsterdam represent the two very different aspects of life that any visitor to the city is going to notice. First, there are the art galleries which pay homage to the past, representing artists who work in traditional methods and have a history of long European influences behind them. Amsterdam’s history and art history are both rich and it’s important to spend some time experiencing this in the galleries that you might visit today. However, there are also art galleries which focus on the emerging and cutting-edge trends that are taking place in experimental art today. This reflects Amsterdam’s forward-thinking attitude and provides a sense of the city’s appreciation for alternative ways of life.
Romantic Places to Visit in Paris
It’s difficult to think of a place in the world that’s more romantic than Paris, France. This city has long been called The City of Love. Paris is always on the list of places that people want to go for romantic experiences whether it’s the first vacation of a remarkable affair, a honeymoon capping off a terrific wedding or a special anniversary celebrating the many years that a couple has spent enjoying each other. But there’s a problem with visiting a city that is known for its romance. You never know where you should go.
Romantic Places to Visit in Italy
It’s impossible to choose just one destination in the country of Italy where you want to spend your time. Even if you’re certain that you want to experience the most romantic destinations in the country, it’s difficult to narrow down your choices. Nothing is more romantic than the canals of Venice. Except perhaps the vineyards of San Gimignano or the lingerie fashion shows of Milan or … many of the other sweet spots throughout the city.
Visit Prague in summer
Historical beauty is the hallmark of downtown Prague, whose medieval center remains largely undisturbed with its intact maze of cobbled lanes, courtyard relics, dark passages and illuminating churches–all closely guarded by a 1,100-year-old castle.
Lovely Lyon
Lyon, located in southwestern France along the Saone and Rhone Rivers, is a city with a diverse history and culture. It’s also one of the culinary captials of a country that takes its food very seriously.
What to See
The many attractions of this city include the dramatic Mount Fourviere, which towers over the city; the Fine Arts Museum, home to canvases by Picasso, Bonard, Braque, and others; the winding streets and intriquing shops of the city’s Old Town; and the Gallo-Roman Amphitheater, remarkably preserved from the days of the Roman Empire and which hosts periodic concerts and other events.
Dining in Lyon
Lyon is home to some of the world’s most famous restaurants and chefs, including Paul Bocuse. Regional specialties include onion soup gratinee with melted cheese, stewed rabbit, tripe, and a variety of sausages. The region is also known for its wines, including the Cotes du Rhone, Hermitage, and Chateauneuf du Pape appellations.
Getting to Lyon
Lyon is easily reached from North America via London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and other major European cities. It’s also connected to Paris via the TGV, the high-speed train.
Heathrow Airport drops the one bag rule
If you’ve traveled in and out of the United Kingdom recently, you might have been caught by the one bag rule that was applied in airports in August 2006. Unlike pretty much everywhere else in the world, where air passengers are usually allowed to carry two bags on to an airplane - a normal bag, usually, plus something like a briefcase or laptop - the UK airports had cut this down to strictly one bag. Stories of travelers searching airport shops for a bigger bag to fit the contents of their two bags in abound.
But for most travelers in and out of Britain these days are over. As of January 7, 2008, many major UK airports have reversed this rule, and returned to the more standard two bag rule. Perhaps the most important for international travelers, Heathrow Airport is one of the airports who will now allow you to take two bags.
Do note that not all airports have implemented this new rule, and if you are flying out of Gatwick Airport, or out of Northern Ireland, the one bag rule will apply until new equipment for searching is installed. Plus, of course, there are still individual airline rules, so passengers on budget flights with airlines like EasyJet will still only be allowed to take one bag. If in doubt, make sure you check with your airline - specifying the airport you’ll be taking - before you start packing your carry-on luggage.
Plan ahead to tour the UK’s Parliament
No visit to London is complete without a trip to Parliament. If you time it right, you can see the inside of the building on the Thames, which is open for touring to foreign visitors in the summer.
Rent a bike to discover Paris
Heading to the city of lights? Hop on a bicycle and explore the city from the pavements rather than the Metro. Most of the main sights of Paris are spread across a relatively small area and cycling means you’ll catch much more of the essence of daily Parisian life.
Free things to do in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, the capital city of The Netherlands, is known for its canals, tulips, paintings by Dutch masters, and coffee shops. The city is not generally known for its affordable prices. However, this historic Dutch city offers a number of free attractions, if you know where to look. Just a few are listed below:
Free things to do in London
London accommodations and restaurants may be on the pricey side, but the city boasts a large number of attractions that can be enjoyed without spending a dime. Here’s a sample:
Croatia: A bargain destination
With a weak USD, it’s nearly impossible to imagine Europe as a bargain destination for Americans. But on the beautiful island of St. Andrea in Croatia, the 4-star Hotel Istra is offering the jaw-dropping rate of $65 per night for a double room, valid from September 29 to December 22.
Munich’s Oktoberfest
Nothing sets the stage for fall better than a beer and harvest festival, the traditional end of summer celebrations common in Eastern Europe and American cities with a large German, Polish, or Czech population.
Oktoberfest
The largest of these festivals, by far, is the annual Oktoberfest in Munich. The event began in 1810 as a wedding celebration for Prince (late King) Ludwig I and has been going strong ever since. Held each year in late September, the event draws around six million visitors each year, the majority from within Bavaria. This year, Oktoberfest begins on September 22 and lasts through October 7.
Beer and More
The festivities at Munich’s Oktoberfest include parades, carnival rides, live music, and, of course, lots of food and beer. Between 28 and 30 tents, some holding as many as 8500 people, are set up within the festival site. Most of the tents are sponsored by the large Munich beer companies and all have their own specialties. Most breweries create a special Oktoberfest brew just for the event and food ranges from traditional German sausages to spaetzle to Bavarian cream puffs.
If you Go
Munich is easily accessible from all over the United States, with non-stop flights from New York, Chicago, Charlotte, and Washington DC, among other cities. Parking is scarce at the Oktoberfest, but public transportation will drop you right at the front gate.
Most of the tents take reservations. Read more about the tents and about Oktoberfest at the event’s official Web site. Can’t make it this year? Watch all the fun from the Web cam.
(photo credit: istockphoto)
Beguiling Barcelona
Barcelona, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, is the country’s second largest city and the capital of the Catalonia province. The seaside city combines the modern with the historic and has been a favorite of artists for centuries. Pablo Picasso frequented the coffeehouses here, long before he was the darling of the French Riviera. So did Joan Miro and Salvador Dali.
Works of Gaudi
Perhaps the best known Barcelona artist, however is the architect, Antoni Gaudi. His early 20th century Art Nouveau works can be seen throughout the city, in parks, churches, and apartment buildings. One of the most spectacular is the Sagrada Familia Church (pictured above) in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.
Art in Barcelona
Barcelona is filled with art museums. There’s the Picasso Museum, the Fundacio Joan Miro, and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, just to name a few.
Other Barcelona Sights
When you get your fill of art, head out to one of the city’s long stretches of white sand beach. Wherever you are in Barcelona, you’re never far from the sea. Or, relax and observe the passing crowd, just as those earlier artists did, almost a century ago.
Getting to Barcelona
Barcelona is easy to get to from the United States and Canada. You can fly non-stop from New York, Chicago, or Miami. Barcelona is also a major cruise port and from May through October, many ships depart for Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona.
(photo credit: istockphoto)
Reasons to go to Riga
If you don’t know Riga and don’t know why you’d want to visit Latvia (which is the country that Riga is the capital of) then you don’t know about one of Europe’s hottest travel destinations. The city is part of the European Union so it’s safe to travel to but it has the rich history of an Eastern European destination … and the affordable prices to go along with it.
The Berlin Welcome Card Welcomes You
While plenty of cities in Europe rank high on those “most expensive cities” lists, Germany’s capital Berlin is a bit of a surprise package, where nothing is really as expensive as it should be. Accommodation is reasonably priced compared to other western European capitals, and when I think about some kind of measure like “interesting sights per square mile”, Berlin is right at the top, with history, great museums, all kinds of culture and nightlife and great shopping too all within its boundaries.
Discount Travel Tips for Visiting Poland
When you announce that you are traveling to Poland for vacation, the first question that comes out of peoples’ mouths is “Are you Polish?” While it’s true that Poland doesn’t top the list of destinations in Europe, it’s truly a once in a lifetime vacation experience and a little more friendly to your pocketbook than the Western European nations. The Polish city of Krakow escaped virtually unscathed from the destruction of WWII whereas its sister city of Warsaw didn’t fare as well. Krakow is more than a 1,000 years old and has been named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Rynek Glowny is situated in the center of the city and is the largest marketplace in Europe and overflows with sidewalk cafes and portable stalls selling souvenirs, Unfortunately, and quite similar to historic districts in the US, the European fashion chains like Zara and H & M have overrun and replaced the number of specialty and locally owned shops. However, these often present good deals to foreign tourists for tax-free shopping. Speaking of souvenirs, more than 90% of the world’s amber is mined in Poland and is an especially good buy. The Wawel Royal Castle is a not to be missed attraction. Built in the early 16th century and situated on a hilltop overlooking the city, visitors can tour the Royal Chambers, the Royal Private Apartments where the royalty lived, and the Crown Treasury and Armory where the regalia and weapons were stored. Another life changing experience is just a 45-minute train ride away, and that’s a tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Admission is free and Guide services are available for a small fee. The standard tour is about 3.5 hours and covers the Germany administration’s offices, spots were mass executions occurred, the gas chambers, and most disturbing of all the personal effects of the victims. Regardless of your ethnicity or religion, a visit here will profoundly affect you and will put the petty problems of modern living into perspective. Krakow is less than a day’s journey from Prague and Budapest so consider tacking on a few days to your trip to explore Krakow.
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