Nice deals..

I recently read an article on Budapest and was interesting to find out that it use to be two cities across the River from each other, Buda and Pest. It also seems, because of the curve in the Danube, that it was a prime position for a lot of different empires and that it was conquered and conquered... by more than a dozen different empires! Evidently you can see the architectural changes "through time" as buildings were half destroyed and reconstructed from the remains by a different era/influence. Here is the article I read if anyone is curious: [url]http://www.ymtvacations.com/travel-blog/historic-budapest-the-pearl-of-the-danube-river/[/url] I'm really interested in visiting there, because frankly, I would like to experience history where I can still interact with it and evidently the whole downtown of Budapest is a historic site (UNESCO World Heritage) and accessible. I'm still planning, and I may just do it with a tour operator for simplicity, but I want to learn more about it and ease my mind a bit before I commit so please speak up if you've been there! It's either Budapest or Guatamala (completely different, I know).

If you're looking April or May on wards, then Rhodes in Greece is warm, and the nightlife in the Medieval town of Rhodes is buzzing and classy! Nothing "touristy" and the similar. Otherwise, try Italy, although the nightlife is a bit going home early, strange closing times, as far as I recall from my visits. So what about some where in Spain? Warm and buzzing nightlife, or even Berlin, for the nightlife alone! Hipsters unite! How nice to be spoiled for choice!.

[quote:ee10e4479e="mrs kitty"]Probably not the best but one of the most fascinating and wild La Pelosa, Stintino, Sardinia, Italy http://www.sardegnaturismo.it/immagini/1_13_20060704161445.jpg I can see Greece getting a lot of votes, which is only logical and of course makes me happy! I've said in another post that the beaches in Rhodes offer some of the hottest waters in the Mediterranean. But man, La Pelosa in Italy seems wonderful! Never been, and have to visit next time I'm in the Sud! Grazie for sharing ;).

It's been a year since you asked this, I hope you're still around to check the answer :) It's a bit weird how bars operate in Rhodes island and in Greece in general. When you have a proper license, you can operate until 3 o 'clock, but many owners just ignore their license and stay open. What happens is that they collect, their "fines" which they pay by keeping the bar shut for a week or two, during which they normally also renovate the place. Now for the particular incident you mention, someone, maybe another bar owner, or a hotel/rooms owner nearby, reported the bar you were at, for "noise pollution". This is when the police has to arrive, and inform the owner that he needs to turn the music down. I'm not so sure that he has the right to stop the owner from selling drinks. We don't really know the whole story, or whether the bar had a bar license.

1. Sunny Beach - wide beach, a lot of hotels, great night life 2. Golden Sands - a bit smaller copy of Sunny Beach 3. Duni Resort - peaceful and green; perfect for a family holiday 4. Elenite Resort - close to Sunny Beach but closer to the mountain and more quiet. Only 4* and 5* hotels 5. Albena - built in a park, nice beach, not overbuilt..

Compared to Bulgaria Croatia is much more expensive though. Croatia is very beautiful but there are just a few sandy beaches, the rest is beautiful ocky cliffs which are amazing but not comfortable for sunbathing. On he other hand Bulgaria has vast sandy beaches..

Krakow is really amazing. One of the best cities in Eastern Europe for shopping, partying and sightseeing. The old central part with the Mariatski Cathedral, the Sukienitse Square are wonderful. And just 10 minutes walking distance is the castle Wawel..

In the last 10 years Bulgaria is becoming one of the hottest destinations on the European holiday market. What makes attractive Bulgaria for tourists: 1. Low prices The country is the poorest member of the EU and that is why standard of life is lower compared to the rest of EU. That means that prices in bars, restaurants, night clubs, discos are lower compared to the rest of Europe. 2. Beautiful various beaches Bulgaria is situated at the Black Sea coast. It has well known resorts like Sunny Beach and Golden Sands with beautiful sandy beaches but also some smaller towns and villages as Szopol, Kiten, Primorsko, Tzarevo. 3. Rich culture and history Numerous sights in Bulgaria as the country has over 1300 years of history. Also the magnificent city of Istanbul is not far from the seaside. Sightseeing excursions around Bulgaria are being organized from all resorts at the seaside..

North-western Bulgaria is the poorest region in EU, so I really hope you wil have luck with the business. The second bridge over Danube near Vidin should be ready by the end of 2012 and this will give a new perspective to the region. The government is also planning building a first class road connecting Sofia and Vidin but his will not happen before 2015. What you should concntrate on, I think, is: 1. How to attract the attention of potential customers. You will definitely need a very good website which should be promoted a lot in traveller's forums and etc. 2. I think it should be something more complex as a service: your ideas for camping, off-road, biking, caves plus organic food, natural rural life, visiting farms, etc..

[quote]thanks for supporting your travel help![/quote] welcome :-).

Turkey is a unique country which everyone asks is it safe or not? you can't never be sure traveling there! but it has a great number of tourists.

Turkey is a wonderful country. Try looking into Kalkan. Not as well known as other places but well worth a visit..

My vote goes to Berlin, got the best party city, super cheap living, great art and museums, lots of music, bars, clubs, green spaces, cool people. Everything basically!.

I also suggest buying them as you go, especially if you're going to so few places. I find it to be a better deal to buy as I go and it allows for more flexibility. I suppose the Eurail does offer some pluses, but I get by OK without it..

You have to check out Hvar on island Hvar!! Carpe Diem is the best night club ever! You have to get a boat to get to its sister club on a small island right in front of Hvar and there is nothing else but the club on this island ;-).

Best city for New Years is Split, Croatia!! Just look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWHx14wjJ3w and feature=related The riva, the promenade along the sea, turns into an awesome living room with thousands of people!!.

Looks like your question was posted in 2008 so I would love to find out how your trip went and if all the suggestions were helpful. Where did you end up going?.

Thanks! :D.

[quote]So how was your trip?[/quote] Off in April.

[quote]The olympics can only be good for Uk tourism surely?![/quote] For some yes, for others I am still not sold. I know with London on virtual lock down over the Olympic period getting about is going to be tough for genuine tourists, so they will find it difficult to actually get to the places they want to. I believe the West End are actually shutting down a lot of shows over the period because they deem it pointless which says a lot to me. I do think the Olympics will showcase London and I hope that in turn it means Inbound Visitors to the UK in 2013 and beyond will increase, I just dont think that during the Olympic period and a significant period after that overall UK Tourism businesses will feel this huge benefit that they are being told they will by overly enthusiastic politicians.

A couple of interesting stats for 2011 visitors to Stonehenge... - 800,000 Visitors toured Stonehenge - 200,000 Visitors stopped in the car park saw Stonehenge and drove off - How many 1000's of visitors pass Stonehenge everyday in the car and take that as "seeing Stonehenge". Its an English Heritage Attraction because of its popularity, a lot of people like it but a lot of people dont think its worth it... I think if you judge Stonehenge purely on sight then you could be dissappointed, if you look into the history of Stonehenge and read up and understand how they believe it came to be there then you may be more impressed. Its stood for over 5000 years and some of the stones would have taken over 500 men to pull them to where they are now just with leather ropes and rollers... its pretty impressive if you look at the whole picture in my opinion.

[quote:dd9362fdfe="paul"]To be honest, I think you'd be more likely to get pertinent results if you ask for a more specific area. [/quote:dd9362fdfe] The reason I left it so vague is my wife and I fancy sampling some top restaurants all over Britain and fancy going somewhere for a weekend and make the meal our reason for going. That list that laz posted is great and I also wonder about Bray..? Has anyone been to the Fat Duck? its mighty expensive.

Always use Booking.com... love their website - it tells you when the last bookingwas made and by who and where - quite cool. If you like that sort ouf thing! :wink:.

I know some peoplemay not agree but for my 25th Birthday my girlfriend took me to Edinburgh and instead of a hotel we hired an apartment and she got it decked out all romantically with flowers, champagne etc... and of course a takeway! Was really nice and romantic to us..

Exactly. :) I have to say we were exceptionally lucky with the weather. Get Scotland on a good day and it is truly something..

Several years ago I was confidently informed by a large digital agency that Yelp was to be the next big thing and that there were plans for Yelp to spend millions on TV campaigns to crack the British market, making them as big as they are in the States - I'm yet to see any real evidence of this happening. For me TripAdvisor is still king of the reviews, even though I'm not 100% comfortable with it's policies (like letting people write a review about a hotel without any proof that they have actually stayed). Having said that I am a firm believer that the cream always rises to the top..

No article about the seaside can be complete without Scarborough, Whitby, Filey and Robin Hoods Bay!.

By the end of each winter I start to crave the beaches and sunshine of the Med and i think I'll have to give in and book a week in Greece, Spain or Portugal. i was going to try and stay in the Uk but I need some sunshine!.

You simply can't beat a trip to the Yorkshire coast for me! Fish and Chips in Whitby, Knickerbocker Glory at the Harbour Bar in Scarborough and then walk it all off with a walk on the beach at Robin Hoods Bay! Perfect!.

How about Cross Bones in south London - best visited on Halloween to watch the bizarre Cross Bones Halloween festival!.

Yes, definitely safe!!!! I think, London is the best place for tours. It is one of the most famous tourist destination and also they have many tourist places where you can enjoy every moment of your life..

Bonnie Scotland all the way. We have the landscape, the culture, the architecture, the history, the arts, the people, and the food. Ireland has all of these things in abundance too but ours is a wee bit better..

It really depends on the OP's preferences but, if travelling with young family, the above suggestion of going to Legoland isn't a bad one. I went there earlier this year and our children loved it. You can also take in lots of other sights there as these pics I took demonstrate! ;) http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/253947_10150279978916337_684731336_8729359_3030733_n.jpg http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250537_10150279979111337_684731336_8729362_25000_n.jpg http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/249884_10150279979186337_684731336_8729363_7187717_n.jpg http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248763_10150279979491337_684731336_8729366_622579_n.jpg http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254220_10150279979721337_684731336_8729370_3680195_n.jpg http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/249609_10150279971761337_684731336_8729254_5106633_n.jpg.

St John is amazing. It is one of my favourite places and Fergus is my all time food guru. We went a year ago, had to book in advance. It is expensive but I think its well worth it. While you are in the area go to Casa Moro for your lunch too! Both the food and the wine were excellent at saint john and the service was fantastic. You might like to look at my blog as most of the things I do on there are Fergus inspired. Here is the link. (Im not allowed to post links apparently for spam reasons so you will have to copy and paste it with a www at the start sorry!) northbysudouest.blogspot.com Hope you have a boss time!.

Has anyone been on one of the Diana Gabaldon "Outlander" tours of the Scottish Highlands? I'm dying to go, but I also feel like I could see most of the landmarks/sights on my own with a rental car..

I'm going to visit Birmingham soon, don't be so snobbish! I have friends there and they love that part of the UK. Would be grateful if anyone can recommend any decent Birmingham accommodation? Not too bothered whether it's a hotel, B and B or whatever - just as long as its clean and not too expensive..

Some cracking suggestions here! Sister-in-law has just moved down to London so now me and the missus have an excuse to go an try some of these out! :).

[quote]I think that schould be fair..[/quote] Losing money doing business is rarely fair..

Definitely, Ireland is one of the prominent destinations in the world and third biggest island in Europe. Youll find plenty of outstanding places which are famous in all over the world like Bunratty Castle, Rock of Cashel, Cliffs of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey and Blarney Castle..

I thought I'd also mention that on the last weekend of this month they stage the [url=http://www.visit-medieval-spain.com/fairs.html]Fira de l'aixada fair in Manresa[/url]. If you're in Barcelona at that time and at a loose end it makes a fun day trip. It closely follows the Festa de la LLum. 500 years ago the city was suffering a water shortage and the construction of an aquaduct to bring water to the city was delayed by a conflict. The fiesta celebrates the fact that a light arrived from the holy mountain of Montserrat thereby ending the conflict and allowing the aquaduct to be finished. http://www.visit-medieval-spain.com/Manresa-Medieval-Fair-2011/Dragon-Manresa-Medieval.jpg.

[quote] Do we need spare headlight and indicator bulbs [/quote] Speaking with a friend about this at the weekemd and apparently the law has recently changed in Spain whereby its no longer required that you carry spare bulbs. Haven't been able to check this yet tho but it make sense because on a lot of modern cars its virtualy impossible to change the headlight bulbs without special tools or dismantling various other parts of the car..

I've been lucky enough to have visited Bologna 14 times. Emilia Romagna has to be one of my favorite regions in Italy. The gastronomy is great, the people are way friendlier than Milan, it isn't cheap, but it is worth it for sure. You have Florence and Venice really close as well, just hop on the Trenitalia and you're there in a few hours! I would only put Tuscany higher up on the list. Lovely blog you have there sir, and great advice!.

Crisis? Everything is more expensive in our every day lives, and the extra tax has taken it's toll. The reality is, as a tourist in Greece, you're guaranteed an amazing time, plus you're helping out the economy. The services of our hotels are now at an amazing level, the hospitality is still great, and if you shop around you'll find very good rates, even for luxury holidays. Don't be afraid, just have an amazing time in Greece! You're safe. Happy travels!.

Thanks everyone for the help and advice, much appreciated. Delighted I won't have to stay in the airport for the day! Great news!.

I have spent some time in Germany, Berlin was actually really nice a lot of work going on there though but lots to see. I love stockholm as well, but havent been yet would that count though??? not sure. Where is the best place to get good prices for this city. Prices that wont get me into Debt??.

Barcelona is beautiful..

Have any of you guys ever done a treehouse tour? I have been to a few in the states, but during my trips to South America and Europe it has kind of passed me mind that this kind of lodging is available at all. I used to do Rocky Mountain tours all of the time and would stay in [url=http://saltlake.littleamerica.com]Salt Lake City hotels[/url] before we took our backpacking trips in to the woods to find what some would call a 'secret' tree house. I know I am kind of rambling here, but Salt Lake City really surprised me with how clean it was, etc. I love Utah for sure..

Hey gnajam, good luck but this probably isn't the best place to look for that. Most of those places you'll have to either apply at the embassy beforehand or get a job offer before you can go, someone that will sponsor you. Hope it works out for you!.

If you like that panorama I would also suggest the Pergamon museum, which is currently exhibiting a Panaroma of what Pergamon would have looked like at its height, about 1700 years ago. Truly incredible exhibit. Plus the museum itself is quite impressive..

Thanks Paul. 1st time I have organized something like this. Quite fun but a bit stressful at the same time! Hopefully it will all be worth it..

Has anybody been to the Algarve area of Portugal? I am thinking of going there in 2012. I am using the information from here: [url]http://www.beatthebrochure.com/holidays/Portugal/default.asp[/url] but would like some ideas on things to do, places to see etc. Any help appreciated!.

[quote]but i doubt for a girl to travel alone in Paris. Its not safe[/quote] I would say it's never safe for a girl to travel one her own at night in any city. I don't know if Paris is really more dangerous, but there are definitely some areas to avoid (and that is also viable for men)..

Val Thorens? Highest ski resort in France (and maybe in Europe), so there's always snow! Not much scenery to see up there, but definitely a lot of snow..

If you're interested in surfing, it might be worthwhile for you to consider "Lacanau" , which is a great place on the Atlantic coast. I went there once, it's fantastic. I mean, if you're looking for the surf atmosphere and everything, that's the place where you must go (eventhough there are other spots for surf in the area)..

Does anyone have any trips for travelling Sicily, Italy? Any specific attractions and any general advice? thank you.

Definitely, mine is Switzerland which is one of the best European countries for travelling and ranked as cleanest countries in the world. It is heaven on earth because of its outstanding weather and places which seems like romantic..

Staying near the resort of Albufeira..

Do NOT forget that in August in many cities and parts of Italy - a lot of things close down because many people take August off and head to cooler places. This is not such as problem in the main cities such as Rome or Florence but in a place such as Sicily for example, you will find that this does make a difference for some doing things. I would highly recommend a week on the coast and beaches i.e. Sicily or the Amalfi Coast and a week in 2cities and I woudl recommend Rome and Florence..

A few years ago I took a 360 panorama inside this church in Rome. I thought it was Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but someone has just told me it is not. If anyone can identify it accurately I'd be really grateful! The link is: [url]http://panoramicearth.com/1530/Rome/Santa_Maria_sopra_Minerva_Church[/url] Cheers!.