The Romans called it ‘Terra Magica’ and it’s no surprise why. There are many things about Istria which make it a unique and enchanting place to visit: its scenic landscape of rolling hills which rivals the countryside of Tuscany, picturesque hill-top villages and medieval fortified towns, lush valleys covered in vineyards, and a beautiful coastline and spectacular islands.
The region also boasts many stunning architectural treasures which are testimonies to its Roman, Venetian and Byzantine …
Upon arriving in Lyon, France’s third largest city and textile capital, it took me all of twenty minutes to figure out how French women maintain their slim figures.
They walk, everywhere. And in a city like Lyon, where the topography rivals that of San Francisco, there’s nothing even remotely simple about a “simple stroll” through the boutiques of the Cote de Grande.
Fortunately, the city boasts a surprising number of alternatives—nine to be exact—thus proving …
Inspiration for your next trip can come from many places — websites, guidebooks, other people’s travel tales and even classic Disney cartoons. Those idealized landscapes, the sweeping opening shots set to iconic music — no trip could ever be as perfect as it seems in a Disney movie, could it? Here are seven trips to try out and see if life is as wonderful as art.
An African safari (The Lion King)
Perhaps …
Hastings is a storied East Sussex resort town, on the southern coast of England, filled with seafront squares, grand Victorian facades, and elegant parks. Okay, it may be a little ramshackle on the fringes, which you’d kind of expect of a town dating back to the 8th century, but the antique look is half the appeal.
Then there’s all the interesting stuff to discover, like the narrow black Net Shops – fifty tall wooden …
Hostels sometimes used to be thought of as dingy, crowded, last-resort lodging that was only for hippies, students, random backpackers and possibly criminals — and perhaps that is the impression that some people still have of them. That old stereotype is completely outdated in the many shiny and modern new hostels that have been popping up around Europe lately and competing with one another for a chunk of a highly coveted market. Hostels cater to …
Just twelve miles from Canterbury sits Sandwich, a perfectly preserved medieval English town complete with a network of narrow cobbled streets and alleyways. In medieval times, before the River Stour silted up, Sandwich was a main UK port. Now it’s famed for its quirkiness and for being a regular host to the British Open at its championship course, The Royal St George’s, most recently in 2011.
In the heart of Sandwich, adjacent to the river …
Now what, you may ask, is the interest of learning a small measure of French? Those of you who have traveled to France can relate to the frustration of waiting years to use your high school French knowledge, only to be rebuffed with English by a smug crêpe seller. Moreover, they only speak French in that one European country — Paris, or something. Mandarin Chinese is much more practical.
French, the language of love and …
Sometimes you might feel an irresistible urge to see a specific European city or visit a particular continental site, and nothing short of that will do. More often than not, however, it is a certain type of trip that travelers crave. So here are three affordable Eastern European variations on classic vacation themes.
A Habsburg Holiday: Zagreb is an economical alternative for anyone who adores Vienna or Budapest. It’s geographically closer to those cities than …
In recent years, since the Twilight series debuted, the vampire has enjoyed a fantastic popular renaissance. Vampires, to put it mildly, are really cool right now. For those seeking to combine their vampiric interest with their passion for traveling, what better place to go than Transylvania, where the movement first began?
While myths about blood-sucking monsters have abounded the world over for centuries, Dracula was the world’s first “pop culture”
vampire. Dracula, of course, was …
I KNEW I’d had too much to drink when everyone in the room began to look attractive — all 5,000 of them.
That tall, blond Germanic look can quiver my heart even when it’s perfectly sober. Yet perhaps sinking a bottle and a half of wine single-handedly was bordering on the excessive. But what’s a girl to do when the waiter refuses to prance around delivering one pathetic glass of wine at a time because …
Lisbon is known as the “City of White Light” due to the bright sunshine reflected off of the numerous cobblestone sidewalks and plazas. In fact, Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paco, situated right over the Tejo River is the largest plaza in all of Europe. But for all its “white space,” the Portuguese capital also boasts a good amount of green space and, of course, beautiful beaches. But the trick is to find those spots where the …
Krakow is a city known for its long and colorful past, and the priceless and awe-inspiring, original surviving remnants from all different periods in its history and the people that came and went over the years. While these magnificent structures and relics are major tourist magnets, and rightfully so, Krakow also has had a boom of modern construction and new attractions to keep things interesting for the millions of annual visitors that come to Poland’s …
The secret of Belgium’s capital city, Brussels, is to go with the flow and allow yourself to become part of its charming everyday life.
Having previously been ruled by Spain, the Netherlands and France, Belgium is one of those countries that finds it easier to describe itself by what it is not: it’s not French, nor is it Dutch, nor German. Belgium is a country with an identity crisis, in the most positive sense of …
The rivers and canals of Europe are open for travel. As many as 20,000 total miles of inland waterways let travelers absorb European culture at a relaxed, leisurely and up-close pace. The waterways of Austria, The Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia and others now have many options to meet the growing demand for river cruising.
No longer an obscure way to see old Europe, travel by river is …
