Posts for 'Fun Places to visit' Category

Seat of the European Parliament, and of European Court of Human Rights Strasbourg is a mix of both French and German culture and history. Situated on the extreme eastern border of France with Germany, Strasbourg also cradles River Rhine that flows through it.  

Strasbourg is also famous for being a culinary city as its cuisines share the best of both cultures, French and German and even Swiss and Scandinavian to a lesser extent.  

Historically, Strasbourg had both been a ‘free city’ thanks to the generosity of the Roman Empire during 17 to 19 centuries and then moved back and forth between Germany and France, before finally deciding to go with France.

Best time to visit Iceland is July and August and worst is January - March from climate point of view. Well you can visit in June, and up to 15 September everything shuts after that, though December is lively in Reykjavik.

Minimum worthwhile stay including a quick whizz around the Golden Triangle is one week and also include a weekend for a taste of the nightlife.

Third Thursday in April is the First Day of Summer with Sumardagurinn Fyrsti, mild partying and a carnival in Reykjavik. First week in June is Sailor's Day called Sjomannadagurinn, watery competitions and partying in coastal villages.

Beginning of August is with Verslunarmannahelgi, camp based partying in Iceland's car accessible scenic spots; extreme drinking and mayhem.

Germany's favourite outdoor pastime so trails are well developed and supported. They are also in some superb locations including the Alps, the Hartz Mountains, the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest. German efficiency and politically correct attitude combine to produce a mass of excellent city and rural cycle paths, well-posted, little used yet in awesome surroundings.

During April- September many rail stations rent bikes which can be returned to other stations in the 'Fahrrad am Banhof' scheme. There is no shortage of rivers and lakes for strong-arm travel. Lake Constance down south in Bavaria is especially popular. As with hiking and biking, there're plenty of places for gorgeous downhill and cross-country skiing, well-organised too, as you would expect.

In Russia, Irkutsk is famous with the name of Paris of Siberia. It is a long way from anywhere except Mongolia, but is on the Trans-Siberian train route and well worth a stop-off. The city is mostly charming, with considerable Chinese influence and some magnificent architecture, including typically elaborate Siberian 'gingerbread' houses.

Another of Irkutsk's attractions is the proximity to lovely, 636km long Lake Baikal where hiking, biking, horse trekking, fishing and boating are big time. The north end is the most beautiful and isolated. Listvyanka village is a popular place to stay for tourists.

Most of us know the varied pleasures of vodka, particularly drunk chilled and in one gulp, but Russia also does a fine line in local beers with lively flavours, good champagne, not such good wine, passable tea and effective coffee. Russians love to press drinks on foreigners so prepare your excuses now. Or practice chugging.

Hoge Veluwe National Park is located in Netherlands. Hoge Veluwe National Park is a nature reserve of forests, marshlands and sand dunes is superb for walks and biking but also well worth a visit for the terrific Kroller-Muller Museum which hosts a remarkable collection of 278 paintings by Van Gogh and Europe's largest sculpture garden.

The imposing St Hubertus Hunting Lodge, designed by Berlage, also should not be missed. Borrowing a bike for free is an entertainment. They are known as White Bicycles. It is the best way to get around the area. The park covers a total area of 55 sq km. It's near Arnhem and 70 km southeast of Amsterdam.

If you are visiting Hungary and miss any mentioned place be me than you will really feel that you have not made your trip worth. Balaton's south shore caters to lovers of bop-a-lot and beach lifestyles while the north tends towards cultural experiences, historical sights, better scenery and lots of tranquil walks. Tihany village is the culture star of Balaton while Siofok is a German drop zone.

Eger, 125km from the capital, is a charming, pedestrian friendly, baroque town full of interesting sights and buildings, including a 13thC castle. The adjacent Valley of Beautiful Women offers wonderful wine cellars, music and spectacular drinking especially the local Bull's Blood wine. Travel there by train 2.5 hours, bus or car.

En route to Eger a 40km detour brings tourists to the World's Heritage site, Holloko, a charming village that has preserved much of its architecture and rural ways since the 17th century. In far west Hungary, only an hour from Austria's Vienna, Sopron offers a compact medieval centre and a famous summer music festival.

Pecs is a lovely, cultured town with some impressive monuments such as the Turkish Mosque Church and the synagogue a cluster of excellent museums, plenty of music and opera offerings and superb leatherwork. Summertime sees a rash of dance and music concerts in gorgeous locations. It's a long way south of Budapest so most convenient for those travelling from Croatia.

Two most important places in Germany are Bavaria and the Great Outdoors. In Baveria, never miss Munich, capital of Bavaria which is Berlin's main rival, deservedly so as it's relaxed yet sophisticated, spacious yet compact, with grand old buildings galore and the Alps only an hour away. Fussen in Bavaria is for lovers of fantasy castles, with mad King Ludwig's three spectacular offerings clustered around here, including Neuschwanstein. But the town is also attractive, as are the Alps nearby.

The Great Outdoors starts with The Rhine Valley which is Germany's Top of the Hops, the best outdoor experience in the country. Hills, river, castles, vineyards combine to overpowering effect. And in May there's the epitome of river fever, The Rhine in Flames festival. Cruises through the spectacular Rhine Gorge are a favourite tourist experience.

Hartz Mountains is another excellent destination for all season outdoor sports freaks, and closer to most tourist destinations than the overblown Alps.

The most prominent of all in Austria is Hiking. The Alps in summertime offer a zillion stunning, well-marked walking routes, open along with the spring flowers in late May. The Zillertal Alps are particularly scenic and leg friendly, and Zell am Ziller is a good starting point. Lifts help the less fit.

Plenty of challenging climbs available, with northern Tyrol being especially popular. With all those mountains and snow Austria is a great downhill and cross-country ski destination, not cheap. Tyrol and Vorarlberg are most popular. Due to the excess of high places and affluence of the country, gliding is commonplace and kit can be rented easily from ski resorts. Land Salzburg has superb locations for watersports from quiet canoeing to wild white water rafting. Speed boats are restricted.

This country is extremely bike friendly, with rental machines available from most railway stations and dedicated tracks everywhere. The best long route is the Lower Danube Cycle Track, running beside the river from Vienna to Naarn and passing many gorgeous medieval towns on the way. Austria is culturally more about classical music than techno raves, the natives do know how to have a good time.

One of the grandest cities of the medieval times, and also one of the wonders in terms of its immense collection of architectural trove, Florence is truly a jewel of Italy.  

Florence’s importance as the centre piece of art and architecture can also be gauged by the fact the some of the most brilliant artists and sculpture of the bygone era called this city home.  

Names such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael were residents of this grand city. Other luminaries included, the mother of nursing, Florence Nightingale; Philosopher, Machiavelli, and Astronomer, Galileo Galilei all called this city, home.

Busojaras Carnival is the first one to start the year. Ancient and colourful celebration of the new spring, in Mohacs. Then Budapest Spring Festival with a huge and well-respected arts festival.

Regional Wine Festivals is a lively local celebrations, including Sopron, Tokaj, Eger, Szekszard, Koszeg and Balatonboglar and Danube Carnival, no to miss is full of East European folk dance and classical music. A clutch of events related to arts of gastronomy.

Sopron Festival Weeks is another world famous event, this one showcasing ancient music and dance, in Sopron, near Vienna. Visegrad Palace Games is a medieval festival, including arts, archery and jousting in this pretty town near Budapest.  Eger Baroque Festival, three weeks of dance, music and street activities in gorgeous Eger.

St Stephens Day is a nationwide celebration, especially lively in Budapest, with parades, folk singing, fairs and fireworks. Flower Carnival, a huge and kaleidoscopic event, in Debrecen and finaly the Jazz Days, Hungary's best jazz gathering, in Debrecen. But don't miss the Wine Song Festival with choirs and vocal acts lubricated by wine evenings, in Pecs.