Archive for December, 2009

Seville, the heart of Andalusia

December 30th, 2009

Not only is Seville the largest city in Andalusia and the capital of the region, it is also the most typically Andalusian city where bull fighting, flamenco, tapas and spectacular Islamic, Roman and Gothic architecture combine to create a wonderfully colourful, passionate place like no other in Europe. If you want to know what Andalusia is all about and experience it in its most intense form, book a low cost flight and a budget hotel in Seville and treat yourself to an unforgettable getaway.

Naturally, there is a price to pay for a trip to such a cool city and the most expensive (but also most exciting) times to visit Seville are during Holy Week (Semana Santa) with its religious processions and the annual April fair (Feria de Abril) which takes place two weeks later and is a colourful and lively event with music and parties held in marquees on the city’s permanent fairground and women wearing flamenco dresses. Summer in Seville is for the brave only with temperatures topping 40 degrees! Spring and autumn and winter are the quietest and coolest times of year to visit Seville, although you will find plenty of nightlife and opportunities to socialise all year round here as the locals are famously friendly and fun loving; just head to one of the hundreds of tapas bars in the centre and move with the crowds from bar to bar.
During the day (when you have recovered from your night out) you should head to the beautiful, historical Santa Cruz district in the city centre as that is where you will find Seville’s most treasured monuments: the Cathedral of Seville – one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world and one which was built on the site of the city’s former mosque, the Giralda bell tower, the University of Seville, housed in what was originally the first tobacco factory in Europe, the Moorish Palace known as the Alcazar, the Torre del Oro and Plaza España. Cheap accommodation in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood is readily available, although it is always a good idea to book in advance.

Andalusia’s interesting history is reflected in the patchwork of cultural monuments and architecture that you can find in Seville today. Its rich and varied past can be explored at the Traditional Arts and Customs Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, the Flamenco Art Museum and the Bullfight Museum as well as those located in the pretty Maria Luisa Park.

Nestled among orange growths, on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville awaits you!

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Sitges – naughty but nice!

December 22nd, 2009

Sitges is a an exciting little coastal town located about half an hour south of Barcelona and as such makes the perfect day trip from the Catalan capital, although it is a great holiday destination in its own right. What characterises Sitges? Sitges is fun! From its huge variety of night life hot spots and its beautiful Mediterranean beaches to its horror film festival and reputation as the gay capital of Spain – Sitges is naughty but nice and you can’t help but smile as you walk around the sun drenched streets of this little town and enjoy its light hearted attitude towards life. Read on for more info about where to stay, when to visit and what to see and do in Sitges.

If you are looking for budget accommodation in Sitges, try a hostel or B&B as opposed to a hotel and look for accommodation in the centre, so you don’t miss any of the action – you haven’t come to Sitges for peace and quiet!

During the day you can enjoy strolling along the beautiful, wide, flat beaches and taking a dip in the Mediterranean Sea to cool yourself down if the heat gets too much for you. The beaches here are fabulous for children and non-swimmers as the sea stays shallow a long way out and tends to be particularly calm and warm here. Then head to the winding streets of the town centre for lunch in any of the many eateries in town. As Sitges is such a major tourist spot, you can find all kinds of cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes here.

At night Sitges gets its glad rags on and so should you. Night clubs and bars in Sitges change like the wind, so there is not much point in making recommendations – just head into the centre and put your ear up against a few doors until you here some music you like, step inside and let the fun begin! As in Barcelona, you can party all night long in Sitges and it has even earned itself a reputation as being a mini Ibiza, thanks to the proximity of the beaches which give it a real holiday feel.

Popular events in Sitges include the Carnival which takes place in February every year and the Catalonia International Film Festival. This film festival is a must for fans of Sci-Fi or horror films and takes place every year in October.

Sitges, a place where you can really let your hair down.

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Palermo – a tale of two cities

December 14th, 2009

Palermo is the capital of Sicily and it appears to be a city of contradictions: parts of Palermo are elegant, swish even, with an interesting mixture of Baroque, Byzantine and Norman architecture, whilst others are full of half derelict buildings and the obvious scars of corruption and lack of infrastructure. Tourism is a curious thing in Sicily, despite the amount of money it brings to the region, the Sicilians don’t appear to be the slightest bit interested in selling their tourist attractions, and it is certainly not that there aren’t any. Sicily is full of places and monuments of historic and cultural interest; you just have to uncover them yourself!
The locals, like the city, are noisy and sociable, friendly and warm. If you are lucky enough to befriend a local, you will get an interesting insight into the “real” Palermo, failing that, here are a few of the delightful places I discovered on my trip and that may be of interest to others:

Once you have found accommodation in Palermo you can get down to exploring the city. Let’s start with the past…..Quartiere della Kalsa is the historic neighbourhood of the old city, dating back to the Middle Ages when it was built as an exclusive oasis for the city’s leaders. Although it was damaged during the second world war, you can still see some interesting ancient architecture here and the area has a distinctly historic feel. Walking around the dusty back streets of this neighbourhood, it is hard to imagine that you are in the same city as those clean, wide avenues lines with chic shops and cafes that are in the modern centre of Palermo.
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia is your place if you are interested in art as this “Palace” has an enormous collection of paintings and frescoes dating back over 600 years. If you are more interested in contemporary art, the Galleria 61 is the place to discover new talent.
Palazzo dei Normanni is a magnificent 9th century palace which houses an impressive collection of treasures, from Arabic mosaics to African wooden sculptures. The building itself is stunning and you can easily while away a pleasant morning or afternoon here.
Ballaro Market is a great place to get feel for traditional daily life in Sicily. Even if you don’t buy anything, seeing the locals go about their business and all of the colours and smells of the local fresh produce makes for a very stimulating morning. There are plenty of budget B&B’s in Palermo where breakfast comes included in the price of the room, so you can fill up on breakfast there and come to the market for a cheap, healthy, Mediterranean lunch, leaving you with some extra cash for a great plate of pasta and sardines in a local restaurant for dinner!
Glory and decay are two seemingly contradictory words that aptly describe this unique city and you have to experience both to capture the true essence of Palermo.

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Porto for a great city break

December 10th, 2009

Porto, also known as Oporto in English, is located in the north of Portugal and considered to be one of the countries finest cities in terms of history, art and standard of living. I discovered some of Porto’s highlights on a short break there in the summer and think that the city is worthy of more attention than it usually gets from tourists compared to other European cities.

To start with, the city’s historic centre, the Ribeira district, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 and is a pretty special place to wander around on a gentle summer’s day, getting lost in the winding old streets, taking photos of the pretty tiled churches and enjoying a drink at one of the quaint local bars.

Oporto Cathedral, the ruined city walls, Liberdade Square, the Crystal Palace Gardens and the beautiful tiled Sao Bento Train Station were all on my list of places to visit and not one of them disappointed.

The National Museum Soares dos Reis with Portuguese art from the 16th to the 20th century is a place of great importance in Porto, along with the Museum of Contemporary Art, the stunning Coliseu do Porto concert hall and the Sao Joao National Theatre. Lello bookshop, once awarded third place in the Guardian’s list of top bookshops in the world is also pretty special and a great place to soak up some culture and history.

This city is best known for its Port wine but its cuisine is very good too and is now getting a look in on the international food scene thanks to a few high standard progressive restaurants that have opened in Porto.

The city’s most important public event in the Sao Joao Festival on the 23rd and 24th of June. People eat sardines with boiled potatoes and red wine traditionally on this day and the whole city comes alive with street parties and celebrations of all kinds. If you want to experience this bustling street party first hand, reserve your hotel in Porto as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as accommodation fills up very quickly at this time of year. The Portuguese know how to party, and not only during the Sao Joao Festival either; Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side of the River Douro hosts many sets by good European DJ’s during the summer months and there are plenty of night clubs and bars to choose from all year round.

There is a very crumbly side to Porto with many 20th century buildings left to fall into disrepair but the city has been cleaned up somewhat over the past twenty years. It now has a metro system, and a recent influx of young residence which has bought the city back to life somewhat and accompanied the opening of trendy bars, art galleries and shops.

There is plenty of budget accommodation around for young, independent travellers looking to visit a European city that hasn’t yet been spoiled by mass tourism.

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Nice – Queen of the French Riviera

December 6th, 2009

Nice, the capital of the Cote d’Azur and gem of the French Riviera, is a wonderful sunny Mediterranean city located in-between Marseille in France and Genoa in Italy. It is France’s second most popular tourist destination with a record 10,000,000 passengers flying into Nice airport in the year 2005 and many more booking into budget accommodation in Nice every year for a piece of the action. What is so attractive about this French city? Read on to find out more……
Sun, sea and sand…..The French Riviera has long been a popular place for a holiday in the sun and Nice is its leading resort. Come here for a few relaxing days laying on parasols on pristine beaches and swimming in the blue Mediterranean waters for a stylish beach holiday. The Port and Promenade des Anglais are beautiful places to stroll in the evenings, enjoying the sea breezes and sipping a cocktail under palm trees adorned with fairy lights.
Snow….. It may surprise you to learn that there are sea resorts under an hour away from the sunny seaside resort of Nice! Whether your thing is snowboarding or skiing or you simply want to enjoy the delightful contrast of a dip in the sea in the morning and putting your snow boots on in the afternoon, Nice will not disappoint.

Art and culture….Nice is home to the Archaeological remains of the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum, which is a delight for anyone interested in history. There are a number of major museums and art galleries in nice too, so the culture vultures among you will be able to get your fix. And you can tantalise all of your senses at Nice’s beautiful flower markets, not to mention the mouth-watering array of restaurants offering the very best of that world-famous French Cuisine.
Business… The Palais des Congres Acropolis is Nice’s Congress centre but there are many business parks in the city which host annual events and bring many business travelers to the city.
Christmas…From December 5th till January 6th on Place Massena, the central public square in Nice, you can visit the “Christmas village” which includes an enchanted forest, a spectacular 15 metre high Christmas tree, a Christmas market and a whole range of events and activities for adults and children. If you take advantage of the many offers that you will find in budget hotels in Nice you can save money on a place to rest your head and have a little more to spend on Christmas shopping.
You see, Nice does have something for literally everyone!

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Istanbul – More modern than you might think!

December 3rd, 2009

I’m here to dispel a few common myths about the Turkish city of Istanbul. Contrary to popular belief, Istanbul is a thriving, youthful and surprisingly modern city. Whilst visiting mosques and museums is an essential part of a trip to Turkey for most tourists, don’t overlook what contemporary Istanbul has to offer in the way of night life, fashion and business!

When you have visited the Blue Mosque and the Haya Sofia, drank tea in a çay bahçesi (tea garden), and shopped in the Grand Bazaar, head back to your hotel in Istanbul before heading out to explore the ever-expanding collection of night clubs and bars that are dotted around the city. The Beyoglu district, on the European side of the Bosphorus, in particular has received a much needed face lift over the past ten years and is now home to some very nice bars and restaurants that fill up on a Saturday evening. 360 Istanbul, Nu-Teras and Babylon are the names of just a few places worth checking out for music and great city views from roof top terraces. The admirable thing about young people in Istanbul is their ability to move with the times whilst maintaining more traditional pastimes like drinking tea in quiet, candle-lit gardens and smoking water pipes whilst listening to traditional Turkish music.

Other common myths I am keen to dispel are the ideas that (1) there is no gay scene in Turkey and (2) Istanbul is not a safe place for western women to travel. Although maybe not advertised as such, there are a growing number of gay bars and clubs in Istanbul and people’s opinion of homosexuality, particularly among the young people, is far more liberal and tolerant that many westerners may think. As far as being a lone female traveller in Istanbul is concerned; you need to exercise common sense here as in any other major city. Know your areas and which to avoid after dark but, other than that, there is no reason why you can not enjoy this exciting city as much as your fellow male travellers.

If there is something that Istanbul does well, it is organise major business events like conferences, trade fairs and congresses. The city’s impressive list of major annual events includes: Istanbul Gida, IPACK Turkey and AYMOD. So it’s no wonder there are so many budget hotels in Istanbul, designed with the business traveller in mind.

If you come to Istanbul in search of exoticism and tradition, you won’t be disappointed…just don’t expect it to be all that you will find here.

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