Posts for 'Vacations, Tourist Spots' Category

The early-morning sun burnishes the stone temples to a golden sheen, while on their façades, serpents writhe, jaguars crouch, birds preen and gods grimace in a pantomime that has been going on for nearly 2,000 years. The silence is shattered only by the screech of a howler monkey living in the surrounding jungle.

In a few hours, the chiseling of archaeological teams combined with the chattering of tourists will imbue this primeval scene with a sort of 21st-century immediacy, but now, just after dawn, when it's nearly deserted, it's easy to imagine the ghosts of ancient Mayans treading the sacred ground.

Copán, once one of the four major capitals of the Mayan world, is today Honduras' major tourist attraction. Along with its three sister cities  Palenque and Calakmul in Mexico, and Tikal in Guatemala — it gives visitors insight into an empire that stretched from Mexico's Yucatan across Belize, Honduras and Guatemala to El Salvador, encompassing most of Central America.

Read the complete story

The Swiss city of Zurich has come top of a list of the best places to live in Europe, with no British cities making the list that was compiled by.

Said the list was based on an annual survey of worldwide quality of living by Mercer Consulting.

1. Zurich, Switzerland-Zurich's tiny population -- 376,815 at the end of 2007 -- is spoiled with over 2,000 bars and restaurants and a breathtaking view of the Alps and Lake Zurich. Taxes are among the lowest in Switzerland, and residents pay no inheritance tax though its gloomy weather and traffic bring it down.

Read the complete story

Sierra ski resorts are stepping up avalanche control efforts after a California man died in a slide and a string of storms dropped as much as 12 feet of snow over the last two weeks.

The U.S. Forest Service's Sierra Avalanche Center on Friday said the avalanche danger is moderate in backcountry areas above treeline in the central Sierra around Lake Tahoe.

Its advisory came a day after expert skier Randall Davis, 21, of Tahoe City, Calif., was found dead under several feet of snow at the Squaw Valley USA resort just north of Tahoe.

Davis vanished when he was skiing down expert terrain with a friend during a blizzard. His body was found on a very steep, thickly forested slope, the Placer County sheriff's office reported.

Read the complete story

Christmas Island (Australia) – there are actually several islands in various oceans named Christmas, but probably the best known is the Australian territory located in the Indian Ocean. Over half the island is national park, but according to the CIA World Fact Book, it will soon become a site for launching space missions.

Turkey – though famed for its sunny beaches and warm seas, many might be surprised to hear the country also receives heavy snowfalls, boasts mountains over 4000m high and has around 10 ski resorts where you can guarantee yourself a white Christmas.

Brussels (Belgium) – forever linked with a famous Christmas side dish that causes mixed feelings at the table, the small green vegetable really is named after the Belgium capital where it’s said to have been a popular crop for more than 400 years.

Read the complete story

Open only by special arrangement, we are delighted to offer this unique opportunity to visit the ancient and beautiful gardens of Ninfa - truly a paradise of flowers, water and sunlight.The romantic flower-covered ruins at Ninfa, just to the south of Rome, are as close to gardening perfection as you can get.

Scented roses, hydrangeas and jasmines are among the many plants, which curtain what remains of the walls of medieval houses and churches, and entwine soaring cypresses which line what were once streets.  Paths now meander beside a crystal-clear river through Ninfa's tranquil setting.

Read the complete story

Weather-related airport delays notwithstanding, winter is a great time to travel. Plenty of destinations in the U.S. and around the world experience their shoulder-season or low-season in winter, and the corresponding lower prices make it more affordable to visit some normally pricey destinations.

Of course, weather varies from mild to downright cold in winter, but the big savings may make up for it. This year's top five picks include San Diego, London, Washington, D.C., Santa Fe, and Israel.

San Diego- Southern California is always a favorite spot for winter vacations. While temperatures may be too chilly to sunbathe on the beach for all but the most devoted beach bums, sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s and 60s are ideal for sightseeing outdoors. San Diego offers some great events in winter, along with cheaper hotel rates than you'd find in summer.

Read the complete story

Sure, those "sceptered isles" are not always sunny, but when the clouds finally break at the height of the summer you'll find many Brits escaping the heat - at their favorite beaches and resorts that dot the UK's 19,000 miles of coastline.

The most world famous of them is Brighton Beach, a one-hour train ride south of London, and perhaps more notable for its restaurants and social scene than its pebbley beach.

Elsewhere in England, experienced travelers and British beach goers usually head southwest for the coasts of Dorset (with Bournemouth a major tourist base), Cornwall, and Devon to find the country's best beach and surfing spots.

Read the complete story

It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the Eternal City - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino, the gory resonance of the Colosseum, trying to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your caffe latte.

Make like the locals and souse your senses in the glut of pleasures the city has to offer, from the grandiose thrill of feeling centuries of turbulent history under your feet to the small but potent intoxication of eating chestnut gelati on a hot day.

The Cape Kidnappers golf course, with green fees of $400 a round, has been rated the world's best by England's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

It heads a top 10 that includes, in order, Royal County Down, Northern Ireland, Pebble Beach, United States, Leopard Creek, South Africa, Green Monkey, Barbados, Domaine de Sperone, Corsica, Turnberry, Scotland, Canouan, The Grenadines, Doonbeg, Ireland, and Royal Melbourne.

Telegraph travel news editor Charles Starmer-Smith says: "This course, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, comes top of our list for its dramatic location.

"Built on what was a sheep station, its fairways play out along a series of jagged ridges that jut out like fingers into the Pacific before plunging down to the rocks below.

"Players must contend with fearsome ravines, contoured fairways and fast, tilted greens."

The Tom Doak-designed par 71 course will host Australian Adam Scott and Americans Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker in the made-for-TV 36-hole Kiwi Challenge event later this month.

The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) is the largest museum in the world, and arguably the most popular as well. Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” probably made Louvre a more famous place than it already was.