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Results for: TIPS

• .Lee's Observations about Bruges, Belgium:
  There are chocolate shops all over Brugge (or Bruges). It appears that some interesting ones are located on a street called Simon Stevinplein, including Dumon, The Chocolate Line and The Old Chocolate House.
  And anywhere you go in Belgium, be sure to have the Flemish Fries (which we know as French Fries). The were probably first created in Belgium, where they eat them with mayonnaise.
• .Lee's Observations about Florence, Italy:
  Florence was founded by Julius Caesar to protect the route linking Rome to Northern Italy and Gaul and named it Florentia. The Palazzo di Signoria (Palazzo Vecchio) was the republican center of government in medieval times. When Italy was unified in 1865, Florence was the first capital before the capital was moved to Rome in 1871. During this time, the Palazzo di Signoria was the center of the government.
• .Lee's observations about Myrtle Beach, SC:
  Before I came here, I heard people talking about going to Myrtle Beach to play golf. When I tell people that I am going to Myrtle Beach, they ask me if I am going there to play golf. Once I got here, I saw that there were golf courses everywhere you go. No one seems to think about the beach.
  This area is a typical ocean destination with all of the hotels, resorts, shops, etc. that you would expect. And I think the biggest thing here is miniature golf! I think there are more miniature golf courses here than regular golf courses!
  One good place to stay is The Breakers, with rooms in lots of price ranges, right on the beach. But there are lots to choose from!
  The best place I have found so far to eat is Chianti South. It is about 20 miles north of Myrtle Beach, in Little River, but it is worth the drive. Be sure to try the veal chop! Another very good place to eat is Sea Blue, a Tapas restaurant with a good selection of wines and food.
• .Lee's Observations about Tuscany:
  If you visit Tuscany in the period between mid-September and October, you'll find local farms getting ready for the grape harvest and many hamlets preparing for wine and food festivals: every town seems to have one! An expression of the importance of wine culture in Tuscany is the fact that there are really a lot of wine tastings and wine festivals here: it seems like an Italian response to the famous German Oktoberfest!
• .TIP from Deep Flayed Mares: Hotels in Istanbul
  You can just arrive in Sultanahmet with a backpack on, and someone will almost certainly approach you offering a room. If not, wander down to Caddesi St in Cankurtaran and there are heaps of cheap places. Istanbul is one of my favourite cities in the world. You are doing well if you leave Turkey without a carpet. Hope you enjoy it!
• .TIP:
  Ancient Tarquinia, one of Eturuia's most important cities, is one of the best places to see Etruscan tombs. Be sure to visit the archaeological musuem; Piazza Cavour (tha main piazza and medieval center); the duomo, which has some good frescoes dating from 1508; and the Tourist Information office in Piazza Cavour.
• .TIP: Free tour
  Sky Tours Rome offers free 30-minute tours of St Peter's Basilica at 9am every morning, except Sundays.
• .TIP: A quick introduction to Zurich
  Hop the train from the airport to Zurich. Put your day pack in a locker in the train station. Pick up a free map in the tourist office at the front of the train station. Walk around. The old section of town is right across the Limmat. Walk along the Limmat. Walk along the Zurich See. If you want to see even more they have free bicycles up along track 18.
• .TIP: A small room in Cagliari
  (beautiful city with sea) 100 euro per 15 days, in a confortable house, from June to September. For more information send an email to: [email protected]
• .TIP: about Tipping in Italy from agatha
  I have inquired to my born in Italy Italian friends. Most of them laugh and say,"Oh don't be silly, Italians don't leave tips… just you silly Americans!" I broke it down for them:
  --Taxi drivers: NO
  --Waiters: No (unless the service was absolutely outstanding)
  --Tour Guides: they thought in a group, 3 to 5 euros; Private, 10% of the bill. In Tuscany a day tour can cost 500 euros. So then the tip would be 50 euros.
  --Hotel maid: One euro per person per day. so if there are two of you in the room 2 euros per day.
  I guess Americans do tip too much. Most first time visitors to Italy don't understand that the tip IS in the bill.
  The one person I do tip (I would give them my first born child) are the porters at train stations. If you can snag one… pay him what he wants and give him a kiss!
• .TIP: About Toledo
  Toledo is the capital of the province of Toledo. It is located in the region of Castilla-La Mancha and Toldeo is its capital also. Up until 1560 Toldeo was also the capital of Spain.
  Swords forged from Toledo's exceptional steel were the most terrible arms in the world.
  In 1986, the entire town of Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its extensive cultural and monumental heritage. Toledo is known as a place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures, but also is the place where harsh religious persecutions were held against the Jews by the Visigoths.
  There is an escalator that you can take to get from the car park to the bus station, which will give you access to the town.
• .TIP: Airport transfer from london
  I've just become aware of a rather bemusing strategy by BAA owners of Heathrow for people overnighting at Heathrow Hotels. A few years ago now Heathrow banned the free hotel shuttles citing traffic congestion at Heathrow. So they introduced the Hoppa Bus which runs at best every 15 minutes and does a milk round of the airport hotels - last count 19 of them. The innocent visitor is fleeced £5 return or £3 single for this "service" - compare this with the cheaper hotels room rate of £40 at weekends and a couple is paying 25% of the room rate for transfers. Nearly all the hotels are located along the Bath Road serviced by frequent public buses - more frequent then the Hoppa Bus anyway. For this service BAA subsidises all public transport journeys around the airport to the extent that these services are FREE. Of course if you're a visitor all the advertising only mentions the Hoppa Bus costing £5 per person.
• .TIP: Apple Tree Cottage
  Recently refurbished self-catering holiday cottage on the Isle of Wight situated in a quiet location with sea views and within a five-minute walk of the beach.
  * Sleeps 2 to 4
  * Children welcome
  * Sorry, no pets
  * Non-smokers only, please
  Delightful and tastefully modernised 1920's cottage situated in the heart of the seaside village of Gurnard on the Isle of Wight. Five minutes walk to the beach, village shops and pubs, on all local bus routes and conveniently located for Cowes (1.5 miles) and Newport (5 miles).
  Only a short drive from the main ferry terminals in East Cowes, Fishbourne and Yarmouth, Gurnard is the ideal setting from which to explore the Island or to simply relax and unwind in Apple Tree Cottage's large and secluded garden.
  Fully equipped with all amenities including washing machine and colour TV, Apple Tree Cottage sleeps up to four people with a double bed room and double sofa bed in the spacious lounge area. Boasting views of the Solent from its large elevated sun deck, complete with patio doors running the full width of the living area, the accommodation is light and airy with a modern feel.
  Accommodation comprises: Spacious entrance lobby, walkthrough kitchen diner, leading to large lounge area with sofa bed, double bedroom and fitted bathroom.
  Linen provided, but please bring your own towels.
  Ample off road parking for two cars.
  For more information eMail: [email protected]
• .TIP: Art Lectures
  Information from Anne: My husband and I just came from a fantastic Art Lecture and we promised to let people know about it. We were only in Florence for a few days but we should've gone our first day here. I actually understand this amazing art that surrounds us now! They are called Florence Art Lectures and they bring you into this beautiful Palazzo right in Santa Croce Square (with wine too!!) It only lasted about an hour and a half but she (the historian) made the art fun and interesting. We thought we couldn't afford something like this - too extravagant - but they gave us a deal so that we could. I highly recommend contacting them upon your arrival to Florence. Don't know the phone number but they are at 21 Santa Croce Square and they do lectures every day, and they have a website - www.florenceart.org. Happy and safe travels!
• .TIP: Bar Trattoria Zia Forica
  Corso Margherita di Savoia, 07100 Sassari, Italy. Telephone: +39 079 994 2628
• .TIP: Book stores in Paris:
  W.H. Smith's, on the rue de Rivoli just before place de la Concorde.
  There is also 'Shakespeare & Cie' (run by a toe-curlingly pretentious old American windbag who thinks that he's an 'intellectual' because he's related to Walt Whitman), just off the quai de Montebello.
  Then there is the American Library [1] in the 7th arrondissement near the Eiffel Tower, and I think that the British Institute which is also in the 7th, has a selection, although of course the last two will probably only lend books, as opposed to selling them.
• .TIP: Bookstore: Village Voice
  An English language bookstore in the St. Germain-des-Pres quartier
  6 Rue Princesse, 75006 Paris, France.
• .TIP: Brienz
  Information from Dick --
  I like to stay in Brienz, 20 minutes by rail or road from Interlaken. It is a woodcarving village on the Lake of Brienz in a pretty setting. If the weather is good go up to Grindelwald or Murren for the day. If its not so good you can easily go to Bern or Luzern. I like the Weisses Kreuz hotel across the street from the station.
• .TIP: Camping Information from Marjati
  There are two campings: Camping Vliegenbos in Amsterdam North. You can reach it by taking bus 32 (direction Buikslotermeerplein) from the Central Station train) and camping Zeeburg by tram 14, but you'll have to walk rather far. I don't know how well organized they are, but Camping Vliegenbos is a bit easier to reach. For public transport in Amsterdam have a look at: www.gvb.nl
• .TIP: Camping Information from Tom
  The ADAC camping guide lists Camping Internazionale Vulcano in Solfatera, Pozzuoli, which is quite close to Naples. The guide says the campsite is inside an extinct volcano, and sometimes you may get some whiffs of sulphur, depending on the wind direction. Further out from Naples, there is the very luxurious 4-star site Camping Villagio Baia Domizia to the north, or the less than luxurious Camping Zeus in Pompei to the south, right next to the excavations. Also, there are several sites near Sorrento. I've never been to any of them.
• .TIP: Camping, Information from mooredale
  Edale-peak district. It has a railway station, has two camp sites and two pubs. Edale is east of Manchester approximately half way between Sheffield and Manchester.
• .TIP: Canal tour
  from Jim Go on a wine and cheese canal tour; it doesn't cost much and you get some nibbles and tipple as well. If you finish your wine, just ask for another bottle - no probs.
  from Mike I second that, they are the best bet. We were given three bottles of wine between 2 and they offered us more! You just pay extra for spirits etc.
  from Miss L. Toe From what I recall there are about three different companies that do evening dinner cruises all with offices outside the main railway station. When I looked (about 3 years ago) the routes seemed very similar, but the menu options were very limited - so look at the menus to choose which one you want.
• .TIP: Casentino valley in Tuscany
  is famous for villages from the middle ages, castles (Poppi Castle, Romena Castle, Porciano etc, monasteries (Vallombrosa, La Verna, Camaldoli), Romanesque churches ("pievi"), memories of Dante and S. Francesco d'Assisi. Here you can find masterpieces of Della Robbia and painters like Sandro Botticelli, Domenico del Ghirlandaio and Bicci di Lorenzo. The landscape is great, breathtaking. Being the valley shaped like a basket it has mountains (1000-1600 meters high) all around. Village and sites are not overcrowded like in other parts of Tuscany, actually, and that make sightseeing enjoyable especially if you are traveling with children. The valley is also known for some typical products like Panno Casentino tissue, Casentino's ham and cheese, restaurants offer tasteful typical dishes. The Foreste Casentinesi National Park sets on the mountains, protecting a large forest where different kind of deer, wild boar, eagles and even the wolf use to live. Arezzo, only a few km away, is famous for the largest ANTIQUARIA market of the all Italy (each month, 1th Sunday) for the marvelous old town, for the Saracino Giostra (twice a Year) and for the Piero della Francesca masterpieces. Florence is about 1 hour by car. From the valley you can easily reach also Umbria (Trasimeno lake, Assisi, Spello). Excursions to Rome and Costa Adriatica (Rimini, Cervia) are also a possibility.
• .TIP: Dining
  Antica Trattoria Fasolo: a 1200 villa in Guizza quarter (take the 8 bus line from anywhere in the middle of the town, go in the direction opposite to the railway station, ask the driver for "capolinea Guizza" bus stop), (it takes 15 min with medium traffic), then you have to walk 100 mt to reach the Trattoria. It's hidden, so ask someone for it. From 10 to 20 euros (it depends on what you order) but very good food, homemade. You may pay less, if you ask for the ready/little choice menu.
• .TIP: Dining
  Brek: In Piazza Pedrocchi in the center of the town near caffe Pedrocchi there is the "Brek" a self service. From 2 euros to what you want to pay, your choice and your service, like school restaurants.
• .TIP: Dining
  Every pub bar and caffe has some hamburgers or "tramezzini" (bread with everything inside, sandwiches) so you can have a light/medium meal only by sitting in the bar and ordering some sandwiches. From 1 euro up to what you prefer. The most of them serve also "primi piatti pronti" (pasta first courses) heated in the microwave and big veggies pots ready and fresh. Try "bruschetta" too, bread on the frying pot and veggies and everything.
• .TIP: Dining
  We found a lovely (and fairly cheap!) restaurant (most expensive main course: €13), which I would heartily recommend, although the service is the most amazingly slow ever. It's called Les Antilles, on Rue des trois Mages, near Place Jean Jaurès. The food was absolutely wonderful when it came, and well worth the wait. The staff were friendly too - the waiter seemed genuinely to want to know that we were enjoying the food, and when everyone else from our group went on to a bar, they understood why I wasn't too happy about walking home alone and the chef saw me halfway there!
• .TIP: Dress code
  The month of May could be very hot, but evenings are not so hot. Don't forget sunglasses and hats. In the churches they scold you if you enter with very short skirts or t-shirts without sleeves, or too short (to see the navel.)
• .TIP: Festival of San Francesco
  Held in May in the town of Lula on the island of Sardinia
• .TIP: Flight Tracker:
  Go to google.com, enter the flight number into the text box (example: aa 3) and click Google Search (or press the Enter key) One of the items returned will allow you to track the status of the flight.
• .TIP: Free Pantheon Tour
  The glorious Pantheon, Hadrian's 2nd-century masterpiece, ought to be your first port of call, but arrive at 7pm and you can take advantage of a free 30-minute tour with the company Angel Tours.
• .TIP: Free tour
  Entrance to the Vatican Museum — which houses works by Titian, Poussin and several paintings by Cavaggio, as well as the Sistine Chapel — is free on last Sunday of each month.
• .TIP: From Amy
  There are loads of lovely places to visit in the Cotswolds, but the most accesible are also the busiest. My reccomendations would be:
  *Cirencester - an old market town with a lovely church (market Monday and Friday, farmers market on Saturday)
  *Bourton-on-the-Water - picturesque little town with a river running through. Whatever you do, do NOT go there during the bank holiday, parking is a night mare and you can not see the river for bodies. Trust me it is a nightmare.
  *Chedworth - there is a brilliant Roman Villa hidden in the woods.
  *Stow-on-the-wold, Moreton-in-Marsh - both lovely little towns.
  *Bibury - very pretty village with a row of houses that features in most Cotswolds brochures.
  *Fairford - the church is fantastic, the stained glass windows are some of the best in the country as they were taken out during the war to protect them (Fairford is an American RAF Base).
  *The Slaughters - sound strange but again picturesque and feature on many calendars and biscuit tins.
  *Northleach - the world renowned Mechanical Music Museum is based here.
  *Cheltenham and Gloucester - both gorgeous towns. Cheltenham is the home to the Gold Cup horse races. If you are around in June book accomodation well in advance (before Christmas if you are staying in more up-market places). Gloucester cathedral is worth a visit (featured in the Harry Potter movies so quite famous now) as well as the Beatrix Potter shop and the docklands.
  *Equally lovely, but not officially "The Cotswolds" are Symonds Yat and the Wye Valley - beautiful gorge, can see Osprey and many other birds from the viewing platform. Also able to hire canoes down the river which is always fun.
  *And the Forest of Dean - chance to spot red deer.
  >>The best way to get to all the out of the way places is to hire a car. It can be fun just driving down the little narrow country lanes and seeing where you end up.
• .TIP: from Chessie
  One of my favorite places, including for pottery, is Orvieto. In Umbria, but about halfway between Rome and Florence. It's also on the train line from Rome to Florence. Small town on a plateau with a famous, fabulous cathedral, and some other interesting sites. (Plan to see the cathedral in the afternoon, when the sunlight hits the marvelous facade.) The nice thing about shopping for pottery in Orvieto -- they have a mix of stores. Some offer more traditional designs, and some more contemporary, sometimes funky, but very charming approaches to shapes and surface decoration. And there is at least one shop that offers ceramics from various regions of Italy. My favorite: Mastrana (Mastra Anna) or Anna (on her newer work she just signs things "Anna". She has a small shop on a little side alley off the left side of the plaza (left side as you are walking out of the front door of the cathedral...or ask...it is a very small town!) She doesn't speak English, but is very friendly. Her work is a fusion of old and new -- difficult to describe, but infinitely charming. Much more fun than the "stock" stuff you see everywhere. Now when I visit, I make sure to bring a small luggage cart -- Anna can wrap things in bubblewrap and box them, but I usually buy too much to carry back on the train without a rolling luggage cart!
• .TIP: from Dan
  Tuscany is beautiful and deserves more than a dash through it - one of its qualities is the pace of life, the small villages, the strange festivals (mushroom festival, pasta festival - even a poverty festival, when everybody gets together for a dance and a bowl of hot bread and water - with a cabbage leaf if you're lucky!). There are so many places beyond the named places - below Siena, for example, there are two thermal baths - Bagno Vignoni, with its enormous medieval pool, and Bagni di Petriolo, hot pools by a river, where people go after a party and lie in the pools at two in the morning, steam rising around you as you gaze at the stars. Near San Gimignano there is an abandoned medieval village in the woods, and Volterra is nearby, an ancient etruscan gem now a medieval town contained on its flattopped hill, the profile marked by the enormous buttresses of the old fortress.
• .TIP: from Dave
  The market plaza is at the east end of the Esplanade. Stockmann's department store is at the west end on the north side. You might enjoy taking a look at the two-level supermarket in the basement, and looking around the tourist souvenir area on, I believe, the fifth floor; it carries items of pretty good quality. Stockmann's also has a very nice cafeteria and restaurant and bar. At the very least indulge in some pastries at the shop on the main floor. Or eat and have a beer at Kapelli, the old fashioned glass restaurant right in the Esplanade less than a 100 meters from the market. Have a beer, but be aware Finnish beer comes in a somewhat confusing variety of strengths: the higher the Roman numeral the stronger the beer. It's traditional to get a cup of coffee and a meat pie at one of the crowded little booths.
• .TIP: from Dave
  A street called Bulevardi terminates just off the very head of the West Harbor; the No 6 tramline runs on it and makes a loop at the harbor's head. Take a walk along Bulevardi to reach The Esplanade. Very nice shopping street, very pleasant walk. Then cross the Esplanade and walk along the north side, which is more interesting than the south side. On a Sunday it could also be very interesting to walk along the center of the Esplanade as it will be filled with people engaged in various leisure activities.
• .TIP: from Derek
  Giant's Causeway is really a day trip from Belfast. Typically one would go up the Antrim Coast Road and enjoy the scenery en route to possibly visit the Carrick a Rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway. Then it's back via Portrush (and the Amusements) and Portstuart for some Morellis' ice cream. After that, head back to Belfast as fast as you can via the motorways.
  I would be very surprised if any Coach company (other than the 'get you from A to B' type) would treat Giant's Causeway as less than a day. I could be very wrong as it is some time since I have lived in NI.
  If time is so short, perhaps you might like to consider Carrickfergus and Carrickfergus Castle instead? The Mount Stewart estate just outside Newtownards on the Ards Peninsula is very nice too.
• .TIP: from Didsbury
  We always visit Montmartre (take the metro from Place de la Concorde) to Sacre Coeur. To one side of the cathedral is the Place des Artistes where you can purchase paintings at reasonable prices from the artists. It is also a great place to sample the food at the many Bistros.
• .TIP: from Didsbury
  Very good glass but very high prices. Best bargain is the decorative masks. We bought several and they look good on the wall of your home.
• .TIP: from Eddy
  We stayed in Pienza for a few days. Close to Montepulciano and Montalcino and smaller towns as well. The Il Chiostro de Pienza is a lovely hotel in a former monastry. Great views and fine restaurant.
• .TIP: from Heikki
  Helsinki City Transport busses and trams should provide rather decent connections to and from any harbour used by cruise ships. See http://www.hel.fi/HKL/index_e.html for more info. The journey planner at http://pathfinder3.meridian.fi/ytv/eng/ might also be useful to determine how to get from one place to another using the public transportation in Finnish capital region. Please note that Stockmann and other shops open on Sundays only at the noon. Many smaller specialty shops may not open at all on Sundays. And FYI, outside summer months and Christmas/New Year season, in urban areas only relatively small grocery stores can open on Sundays. I can't just now be certain about Stockmann, but on Sundays in many shops the bakery product selection may be somewhat limited compared to other days of the week.
• .TIP: from Heikki
  Q: I've just noticed that on August 31, there is an Ancient Market on Pukkisaari Island. This sounds very interesting! Have you ever gone to this, is it worth our time? Is Pukkisaari easy to get to?
  A: Reasonably easy. Actually there are three islands called Pukkisaari namely Läntinen Pukkisaari (Western Buck Island), Itäinen Pukkisaari (Eastern...) and Eteläinen Pukkisaari (Southern...) near each other. But I guess the most probable location for the event is the Itäinen Pukkisaari as it connected to the mainland by a bridge, which goes to Seurasaari. And Seurasaari is a bit larger island and rather nice destination alone as it hosts an open-air museum displaying number of old buildings from all around Finland. Assuming the weather is nice, spending few hours walking around these islands somewhat off the hectic urban enviroment could be rather nice experience.
  Q:How long would it take to travel from the Harbor to this location?
  A:Assuming this was West Harbour, the public transportation journeur planner gives 30-52 minute routes from West Harbour to Seurasaari bus stop, which is next to the afore-mentioned bridge. The bus line 24, which goes from Erottaja (in the city centre) to Seurasaari, runs on Sundays about three times per hour.
• .TIP: From Iain — Best time for Spain?
  I prefer Spring because:
  *The countryside is still green, in fall it's brown.and burnt. Wild flowers and almond trees in blossom ( well for a day or two).
  *At the beginning of the year people are not tired as they are at the end of the tourist season.
  *There is still snow on the mountain tops.
  *Fish is better in the spring. Strawberry and asparagus season!
  *The countryside is cleaner after winter.
  *There are fewer tourists ( of the mass tourist type).
  *There are Easter processions and later, Southern towns have their ferias.
  Go in Spring! Have a great time!
• .TIP: From ifjed5555 — Best time for Spain?
  Spain is a great place to visit at any time of year. It is very geographically diverse, so that even when it's getting cold in the north, it's still nice in the south. And likewise, when it's blazing hot in the south, it's quite nice up north. Plus, Spain is a very mountainous country with large climatic difference within short distances. As far as seasons go, I prefer the fall. Summer is probably my least favorite season due to the crowds.
• .TIP: from Jim
  Just returned from Paris and stayed at the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in the Marais district. Rooms were $152 a night, small but air conditioned!!! Would have been noisy otherwise. Great location, easy walking distance to Notre Dame, the Seine, Louvre. Staff were very helpful with restaurant recommendations, reservations, transportation, etc. Had good meals at le Coude Fou near the hotel and Bofinger near the Bastille. Hotel website is www.carondebeaumarchais.com. Also recommend Paris Walking Tours. We took three of the tours and it's a great way to see the city. Just show up at the indicated metro stop, pay 10 euros and get a great 2-hour tour. Website is ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/ Enjoy your stay!
• .TIP: from KarinK
  As for getting to Siena from Florence, make sure you take the bus and not the train. It is a bit faster and goes directly into Siena. Take the Siena Rapida from the SITA bus station (very close to the Florence train station). They leave every hour at 10min after the hour. Have fun!
• .TIP: from KarinK
  I have been to Verrazzano a few times with clients and it is always a good time! Really it is a fun trip. The only problem is you need a car to get there. It is just outside of Greve in Chianti.
• .TIP: from mackinac64
  While Ireland is beautiful at any time of the year, (one doesn't go because the weather is glorious, though often it is) mid-December through the beginning of January is not the best time to visit. Many things are closed during that period, due to the holiday, plus it is difficult to find vacancies at bed/breakfast and hotels. Family returns home to Ireland at this time and occupy spaces which at other times would be open for tourists. That is the only time of the year that I would avoid in Ireland.
• .TIP: from Marco
  If you're visiting Cologne you should visit the Früh-Brewery (near the train station) and of course the Malzmühle (Heumarkt) which I think is the best Kölsch-Brewery. If you're looking for a place to stay, I can recommend the Hotel Heinzelmännchen, Hohe Pforte 5, 50676 Cologne. It's not expensive and directly in the city center.
• .TIP: from Mario Batali
  In Modena, home of aceto tradizionale, the real balsamic vinegar, there is a tiny little shop called Hosteria Giusti (vicolo squallore 46…tel 059222533) run by Nano Morandi and his wife Laura. If there is one stop on your trip to Italy, wherever in Italy, it must be here. You enter a jewel box of a salami shop with a traditional banco replete with prosciutti, salame, lardo, cheeses, and then your eyes focus on baskets of great wines from around the world… I mean Yquem, DRC, 1st growth Bordeaux and the like, along with the Sassicaia, the Grattamacco, the Gaja and all of the regal wines of Italy.You walk back to the end of the shop and there is a door, behind which there is the 5 table trattoria of my dreams. Simple gnocco fritto served topped with the most fragrant of lardo, hand made tortelloni with sage and butter, green tagliatelle al porcini and perhaps the most decadent of all, crispy slices of Zampone with savoury zabaglione.
• .TIP: from pantagruel
  For an interesting area with a variety of life styles (cultural diversity in liberalspeak) I would choose the Marais area. Lot's of people wearing way too much black and lots of homosexuals. Unless you are a very conservative person or "phobic" it may not be the area for you but it is an interesting and , I would think, a relatively "safe" area with more interesting sights and restaurants. If you want straight up middle class and a more toney area but close by, go to the Hotel Muguet in the 7th. It is a classy little two star, very well amenitized and popular with American and Canadian tourists, conveniently located very near the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. Get a room on the very top floor (one flight of steps) but with roof windows that can be opened to view one or another of the aforementioned. One website lists this hotel as number 18 in popularity out of almost 1300 hotels in Paris.
• .TIP: from Peter
  In Deventer ( the Netherlands) we have the biggest bookmarket of Europe today. As usual the first Sunday of August. 800 stalls of 4 meter each. Total circuit 6 kilometer. Be there early. Starts at 10 but I will be there already at 8 because at 10 it will be very busy.
• .TIP: from quiqueg
  I can recommend you this family run restaurant south of Siena; it's called "da Vestro" and it's on the outskirts of Monticiano, near San Galgano Abbey, where you'll probably want to go. The restaurant has great cuisine and it's also a small hotel. see: www.davestro.it
• .TIP: from Ryan
  I spent a week in Budapest in May. Beautiful city. I would recommend the following:
  1 A Danube dinner cruise
  2 Visit Fishermen's Bastion, Buda Castle,(take the funicular there) and Parliament
  3 St. Stephen's Cathedral. Inside is as beautiful as any in Europe.
  4 Hero's Square
  5 Big city park behind Hero's Square. Nice lake, restaurant etc
  6 Take the three hour tour by mini bus out to Statue Park. This is where all the communist statues were taken after liberation in 1989.
  7 See the Chain Bridge at night.
  8 Go to the big indoor market at the end of the pedestrian street Vaci UT.
  9 Go up to the top of Gellert Hill to the Citadel and Liberation Monument for a great view of the city and half of Hungary.
  10 Visit Matthias Church (next to Fishermen's Bation)
  11 Great restaurant "Bagolyvar *Owl's Castle a few meters from the zoo near Hero's Square. This is a restaurant run by women. Women do all the cooking and serving. Great food, great prices.
  12 Use Budapest's great little metro system. Buy a three day pass of 7.50 euros. Good on 3 metro lines, trams, buses, HEV suburban rail system. Don't get caught without a pass or ticket. They check on the trains, in the stations etc. Heavy fine for cheating.
  13 Take a day trip to Eger. Two hours.
  14 If you take just one day trip make it the 30 minute HEV rail ride to village of Szentendre in the Danube Bend area. Great little town, lots of nice shops, restaurants etc.
  15 Go to Maragret Island. Island in Danube in heart of city. Great parks, beautiful old water tower and restaurant, hotels, fountain, picnic groves along the river etc etc.
  Tourist office just off Vorosmarty Square can give you all the information you will need on Budapest. Lots of tourist guides etc.
  Enjoy Budapest and Hungary as I have. The Hungarians are great and friendly people who love Americans. Prettiest women on earth too.
• .TIP: from Tony Black
  Avoid any of the pricey "pub grub" places in the Old Town, especially at the height of the tourist season, unless, of course, you're a fan of microwaved dinners. Locals know to avoid these places: at Festival time they can be packed to bursting.
• .TIP: from vlad
  First of all I have to tell you that there are no castel-hotels in Romania, no tourist accommodation in such places have been yet arranged. The best way to celebrate Halloween here, I would say is to find accommodation in one of the many agricultural villas in the Bran region (very close to Brasov), where in the last years a growing community of Americans are celebrating Halloween in the proper way. I am saying that because as you probably know, Halloween is not a Romanian feast. It is to emphasise although, that Bran is the residence of the Bran Castle which is allegedly connected to the Dracula's legend. Bran being situated in a very beautifull landscape region, both this and the Castle made this place a good location for Halloween lovers and celebrators for the past three-four years and it is already very well organised. However, if you want to go "by the book" then you should know that the real Dracula Castle is not this one. The truth is that neither Dracula nor Vlad Tepes, the real Romanian king that inspired Bram Stoker's book have no connection with this Castle!!! Vlad Tepes has never inhabited this Castle and the presumed residence of Dracula is in Bistrita, some 300 kilometers north. If you want to try that instead of going to Bran, then I suggest you to get on the tracks of Jonathan Harker, the young man described by the author of the Dracula book, going from Budapest to the Borgo pass in Romania, where you would be able to find the ruins of the Bistrita Castle and lodge in the same hotel this book hero was. The hotel is called The Golden Krown as in Bram Stokers book. There are a few so called "Transylvanian Society Of Dracula" in Italy, Great Britain and Canada or USA that are planing organised tours both on the tracks of Dracula and celebrating Halloween, as well as some travel agencies here in Romania.
• .TIP: from vlad
  Romania has very interesting cultural sites to see and in order to build a varied itinerary I would say you should see the following:
  1. The old monasteries of Moldova, which are protected by UNESCO for their well known outside frescos;
  2. Another target of your trip would be Sighisoara, a town also belonging to the UNESCO patrimony, for being the only still populated middlle age town in Europe;
  3. A third target being the wooden churches of Maramures build by amazingly skillful wood carvers, where old houses and churches are entirely made of wood;
  4. The merry cemetery of Sapanta (also in the Maramures region) which according to an American classification is the second in the world in point of the funeral monuments, after the Valley of the Kings;
  If you take the trip during this year (2003) I would like to draw your attention also upon the September "George Enescu" classical music Festival which is highly appreciated by music lovers all over the world.
• .TIP: from Voyager
  In general food in Hungary is great and especially simple foods that could be considered "peasant foods". Paprikás csirke (Chicken Paprikash) and roast pork lead my list of local favorites and the Hungarian goose liver pâté sits high amongst the best in the world (OK, maybe pâté isn't a peasant food but it's great anyway). Many varieties of great goulash abound but avoid the more touristy venues to get the best. For a sweet snack you can't beat Palacsinta Hungarian Crepes). A visit to the Gellert hotel is a treat for the ambience as well as the food and is a step into Budapest's more opulent past. If you do happen venture to the Danube bend area, the town of Estergom and its great cathedral are worth the effort as well.
• .TIP: from Wikipedia
  Campione d'Italia is an Italian comune (municipality) of the Province of Como in the Lombardy region, occupying an enclave within the Swiss canton of Ticino, separated from the rest of Italy by Lake Lugano and mountains. The enclave is less than 1 km at the shortest point from the rest of Italy, but the hilly terrain requires a journey by road of over 14 km to reach the nearest Italian town, Lanzo d'Intelvi, and over 28 km to reach the city of Como.
• .TIP: Guides
  Several guides and guide services have sprung up in the last few years. Information is available at Sarajevo's Tourist Information Center, at Zelenih Beretki 22a; Telephone: 33 220 724. Open daily.
• .TIP: Hôtel de Ville
  Address: rue des Récollets 1, 4600 Visé, BE
  Telephone: +32 04 374 84 10
• .TIP: Handmade Amalfi Paper
  Not all of Amalfi's power came from the sea. The tiny town is also famous for having produced some of Europe's first paper. Some paper-makers still continue the ancient technique, which came to Amalfi in 1220. It takes 10 days to make just one sheet, so it's incredible to see the artistry still practiced today. Pick up a pack of the paper, distinguished by the Amalfi watermark, as a perfect souvenir.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip from Cristina
  The best place to stay in Siena is the Palazzo Ravizza www.palazzoravizza.it/ They have an amazing restaurant. Another great restaurant just repened under new management and is wonderful. I took a friend there and she and I had a pork carpaccio that was to die for. The restaurant is Guidoriccio and is right to the right of the town hall in Piazza del Campo. Via G. Dupre, Telephone number is 0577-44350.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip from ebolt
  Try the Hotel Hermitage. Its a small B & B right off the Ponte Vecchio with a rooftop garden where you can have breakfast.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip from Ken
  I stayed at the Casci (recommended by someone else here) last year, and liked it a lot. It's very conveniently located, moderately priced, not deluxe but clean and comfortable, and run by very nice people. As with most hotels, if you ask for a room in the back, it's usually considerably quieter.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip from muban
  If you go to Victoria Station in central London, outside is the hotel booth, they will book a hotel for you. Ask for bed and breakfast in Victoria, the rooms are from 30 pounds up. Victoria is 10 minutes from central London on the 24 bus. You will pass Westminster Abbey, parliament etc. Buckingham Palace is around the corner, enjoy... the rooms are clean.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip:
  from Dudley: Catalonia Aragon Hotel - a three star hotel which provides four star facilities - for example, never seen so much food for breakfast! And the whole place is air conditioned. Ended up have to turn the room one off over night because we were feeling chilly! It was about 35C outside.
  It's about 5 mins walk from the Metro station Clot which has two lines running thru it. You can get to the main centre of Barcelona (La Rambla) in about 10 mins on the Metro.
• .TIP: Hotel Tip:
  from CB: I have stayed at both the Hotel Continental and the Hotel Turin. They are very similar in many respects. They are both 3 star hotels and they are about 2 blocks from each other, located at or near La Rambla, the heart of Barcelona. They are both a stone's throw away from Plaza Catalunya with all the subway stations, bus stops and the El Corte Ingles department store. Continental is right on La Rambla, and occupies 2 floors of this 7 or 8 story building. Turin is a block away from La Rambla and may be a bit quieter. Continental charges more for room facing La Rambla which I would hesitate to take due to the noise situation. When I stayed at Turin, I did have a car and I used their parking lot which was no more than a block away. However, they do charge for the parking, about 5-7Euros per day, though I can't remember the exact amount. I did NOT have a car when I stayed at Continental and so it was not an issue though you should email them and ask for parking recommendations. In terms of the interior I think Continental was a little better because the single room was bigger and the amenities had more character and had this antique look to it. The rooms in the Turin were your typical cookie-cutter hotel room with plain modern furniture. I stayed at Continental in the month of September and in Turin, February. In both cases, air-conditioning wasn't really needed. Turin did seem to have A/C though it's not centralized and it's one of these room units which may or may not be effective. Continental offers continental breakfast and in fact, the snack room by the main lobby is open 24 hours with tea, fruit and snacks. I did not avail of breakfast at Turin and so I can't comment. Also, the snack room at Continental overlooked La Rambla and was great for people-watching. I would not hesitate to stay in either hotel, though personally, I preferred the Continental if only because the rooms were slightly bigger and had a bit more character.
• .TIP: Lauterbrunnen
  Information from Goose --
  Get up into the mountains. Lauterbrunnen is a good base from which to explore the Jungfrau region. It is high enough into the mountains and has a major rail station from where you can set off to the smaller and quainter villages. The rail track from Interlaken takes you up and past Lauterbrunnen anyway. But staying in Lauterbrunnen will give you more of an Alpine experience.
• .TIP: Map of Florence
  Oddly, the map given out for free at McDonald's (yes!) in Florence seems to be the best. I would have never thought to go in there, but the desk clerk at a hotel said that he had found it to be the best for tourists.
• .TIP: Paris by night
  Where to go:
  *8th Arrondissement;
  *Latin Quarter: The streets around the boulevard SaintMichel all the way up to the Pantheon contain plenty of places to have dinner, a drink, or a good time;
  *The area near the Bastille;
  *Pigalle district;
  *Latina Cafe, near the Champs Elysees;
  *Weekly magazine guides, Zurban and Pariscope (available at newsstands) have information about everything coming up that week. Both in French, but Pariscope had an English section in the back;
  *The legal age for drinking wine and beer is 16. For harder stuff, 18;
  *The Metro stops running for the night between 12:30 and 1:00 AM
• .TIP: Restaurant Tip from ClanLee
  In Florence, we went to a restaurant called the Golden View. It's located just off the Ponte Vecchio, next to the Arno river. We didn't have reservations for dinner, but we were seated immediately. Didn't get a table by the window, but still had a lovely view. The food was EXCELLENT! I think it cost about 35 euros per person... but then we drank lots of wine and beer!
• .TIP: Restaurant Tip from Roxy
  Piccolo Martini: In the side streets behind Harry's Bar at the San Marco ferry stop. Huge portions: Salad, spaghetti and meat balls and a beer: €12,40 — 20 June 2005!. Molto Bene! Buon appetito
• .TIP: Rome to Sorrento, with a stop in Pompeii:
  You can go from Rome to Naples by train (2hrs - Trenitalia) and then take a bus or a local train to Pompeii (40min - Circumvesuviana). Make sure you get off the train at "Pompeii Scavi". If you get off at Pompeii you will find yourself in the city of Pompeii instead of at the ruins. The ruins are great, and make sure to allow yourself plenty of time to explore, there is a lot to see. Then you can proceed from Pompeii to Sorrento with the same train.
• .TIP: Skiing
  The home of the men's Alpine skiing events in the 1984 Winter Olympics, Bjelasnica is about a 45-minute drive south of Sarajevo. Only about seven runs are open for skiing, served by a handful of lifts. Still unrepaired is the lift that once reached the mountaintop restaurant and added about 800 vertical feet (and gave Bjelasnica a 2,628-vertical-foot drop). Weekdays are best, as Bosnians love to ski and lift lines can get long on weekends. A full-day lift pass costs 26 KM; ski and snowboard rentals, about 15 KM, though serious skiers may want to bring their own boots. Information: 33 212 018.
• .TIP: Train to Pisa
  The leaning tower is across town and a good half-hour walk from Pisa's main train station, Pisa Centrale. If you are taking the direct train from Florence go to the Pisa S. Rossore train station, just five minutes away from the tower.
• .TIP: Trattoria Papei
  Piazza del Mercato 6, 53100, Siena. Telephone: +39 0577280894. Restaurant serving regional cuisine. Garden or terrace.
• .TIP: Useful Information about Ireland
  Some helpful information about Ireland gathered from various sources
• .TIP: Venice Information
  Some helpful information about Venice gathered from various sources
• .TIP: Walks
  There are famous "Long Walks" of England; apparently these are routes you walk through countrysides, etc. and there are little villages with places to stay at the end of each day. One that is quite popular is known as the 'Coast to Coast' and runs from St. Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay on the other side of the country. You will find more information about this - along with places where you can stay, etc. - at Coast Two Coast and Coast 2 Coast
  There are even services that will help you along the route by taking your luggage - here are the contact details for such a company:
  Coast to Coast Packhorse
  Littlethwaite, North Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4EX, UK
  Phone/Fax: 017683 42028 - email: [email protected]
• .TIP: Walks, Information from mooredale
  There are loads of long walks in Engand, Scotland and Wales:-
  The Pembrokeshire Coast Path
  The South Peninsula Coast Path
  The Ridgeway
  The Pilgrims Way
  The South Downs Way
  The Cotwold Way
  Offa's Dyke Path
  The west Highland Way
  and the most popular long walk, The Pennine Way.
  For more information go here
• .TIP: Walks, Information from mooredale
  There are loads of long walks in Engand, Scotland and Wales:-
  The Pembrokeshire Coast Path
  The South Peninsula Coast Path
  The Ridgeway
  The Pilgrims Way
  The South Downs Way
  The Cotwold Way
  Offa's Dyke Path
  The west Highland Way
  and the most popular long walk, The Pennine Way.
  For more information go here
• .TIP: Wengen
  Information from Roger --
  Wengen is one of my favourite places. Beautiful, no cars, stunning scenery and some nice hotels. Good for walking in the summer too. My favourite hotel there is the old-fashioned family style Falken, though it can be rather like Fawlty Towers. There probably will still be snow in the village in late March, though much should have melted. You would need good high waterproof boots for any walking outside the village. You can also take trips on the mountain railway to Grundelwald etc. Also to Eigerglacier but very expensive. The valley towns such as Interlaken are OK but not so atmospheric. And not so sunny as they are more shaded. But of course better places for excursions.
• .TIP: Wengen
  I agree, Wengen is a great little village to make your base and high in the Alps. If you stay in Interlaken you are really out of it. I've stayed at the Hotel Bellevue. The owners Judith and Andreas treated me extremely well. Very nice people. Great buffet breakfast included in price. www.bellevue-wengen.ch/e/
• .Travel Tips
  A selection of travel tips gathered from various sources
• Ciro & Sons Restaurant
  Restaurant Tip: Information from Roxy:
  Sat outside in the garden and enjoyed every bit of a 1-1/2 hour late lunch! No dress up required. Bottled water, starter: bread, plate of tender mushrooms in olive oil, huge salad, Maguerita personal pizza, 2 glasses chianti $25 with svc chg, plus small tip. A special day lunch 16June05
• Enoteca La Sosta del Rossellino
  Tip from littlephoenix Florence is so beautiful, i have been there and its a must for any traveler, you can go to Enoteca Sosta del Rossellino, its the #1 wine bar with a special, welcoming atmosphere. The tables are hand-painted and the room has a warm ambience. In summer, customers can eat on a terrace.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.....Explore. Dream. Discover. — Mark Twain

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Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair — Kahlil Gibran

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I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move — Robert Louis Stevenson

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Open my heart and you will see, graved inside of it, Italy. — Robert Browning

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Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you've travelled. — Muhammad