Bath

Located in Western England and just an hour’s drive from the world-famous monument of Stonehenge, Bath is easily accessible by both road and rail.


Famous for - and named after - the roman baths which can still be found there, Bath is a city full of culture…but also amazing shopping! In fact, Bath boasts more shops than a city ten times its size. From massive department stores to tiny boutiques, this place really does have it all.


While you’re there you can explore the city any way you want. You could choose to join one of the many walking tours, or you might prefer to see the area by vehicle – in which case you should buy one of the hop-on-hop-off bus tours, which are great value for money.


The Romans were captivated by the miraculous stream of endless hot water Bath offered, the Georgians later came from all over the country to bathe in it, and now people can once again experience its powers with the opening of the Thermae Bath Spa - the only place in Britain where you can swim in the natural thermal water. It’ll cost you a bit, though!


Add to all this the plethora of restaurants, bars, museums, galleries and the abbey, and Bath succeeds in the near-impossible feat of being both a historic and bang-up-to-date city. It really is quite magical.

Athens

Situated in the region of Attica, Athens is the capital and most visited city in Greece. And it's easy to see why. It’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains named Ymmytos, Pendeli and Parnitha and the sun shines over the city all year round.

The climate is one of the best in Europe, with mild winters and hot summers, ideal for tourism. It’s located just a few kilometres from the port of Piraeus, the central commercial port.


A walk around the famous historic triangle - Plaka, Thission and Psyri (the old neighbourhoods) - reveals the coexistence of different eras. Old mansions, some well-preserved and others worn down by time, luxurious department stores and small intimate shops, fancy restaurants and traditional taverns all have their place in this city.

Athens and Attica in general are home to some of the most important archaeological monuments in Greece – the Acropolis, the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Roman Market, the Panathinaiko Stadium and the Temple of Poseidon.


Don't forget to visit the city’s famous museums – the Archaeological Museum, Military Museum and Byzantine Museum.

By the time your trip to Athens comes to an end, you'll feel very cultured indeed!

Tokyo

If you want to experience modern Japan, Tokyo is the city to visit.

About two days are needed to gain a superficial feel for the capital and at least a week to get to know it more intimately.


Places to visit and things to do in Tokyo

Old Tokyo
Visit the excellent Edo-Tokyo Museum and learn about Tokyo's history. Afterwards, explore the nearby Asakusa area around Sensoji Temple where a touch of the old Tokyo can still be experienced.

Futuristic Tokyo
From Shimbashi Station take the Yurikamome, an elevated train across the Rainbow Bridge onto a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. There, visit the shopping and entertainment attractions and view the futuristic architecture and landscape design around Odaiba and Tokyo Big Sight.

Shinjuku
In Shinjuku, visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, Tokyo's tallest building, for a free bird's eye view of the city. Then take a look around the area’s department stores. To escape the crowds, take a break in the Shinjuku Gyoen, a spacious city park. In the evening, experience the notorious Kabukicho entertainment district.

Shibuya, Harajuku, Meiji Jingu
Shibuya and Harajuku are the most popular shopping and entertainment districts for Tokyo's young generation. For some contrast, visit Meiji Shrine, located in a spacious wooded park just next to Harajuku Station.

Imperial Palace, Ginza
Visit Imperial Palace and its East Gardens before exploring Ginza, Tokyo's most expensive and famous shopping district.

Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort, just 15 minutes by train from Tokyo Station, consists of two separate theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Kids and adults of all ages will love it!

Niagara Falls

The city of Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada is home to one of the wonders of the world – Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls (the other side is in New York, USA). Its spectacular views attract 20 million visitors each year.

Beautiful park walkways run alongside the full length of the Niagara River where you can take a leisurely stroll while gazing at the magnificence of the falls.

If you’re more adventurous and want to view the waterfall from somewhere other than the ground, here are some suggestions:

1. From a tunnel behind the falls
Descend 150 ft by elevator then follow a short tunnel to two outdoor observation decks and two portals where you can view the falls from below and behind.

2. From one of many observatory towers in the area.

3. From your hotel room
Hotels line the streets facing the falls. The Sheraton Fallsview has one of the most stunning views.

4. From the Skylon Tower, a very posh, elevated revolving dining room.

5. From a helicopter
This is quite expensive (over $100) but the experience is well worth the money. Book online.

6. From the SkyWheel, a ferris wheel on Clifton Hill, located next to the falls.

7. From the Maid of the Mist, a boat which takes passengers right up to the foot of the falls. You get very wet.


The falls are especially captivating at night, when they are lit up in several different colours.

It’s easy to see why Niagara Falls is the honeymoon capital of the world.

Las Palmas

Las Palmas is the sunny Spanish capital city of the island of Gran Canaria - the largest of the Canary Islands located off the north-western coast of Africa.

It’s a bustling, vibrant city with three beaches and plenty of nightlife. Whether you want to rest and relax with the family or go clubbing with friends, you can do it in Las Palmas.

The weather in Gran Canaria has been referred to as “The best in the world”. I would call it “Hot”. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a matter of personal taste.

During your trip, stay at the 4-star Reina Isabel Hotel by the main shopping area of Las Palmas. It has 224 rooms and the average price is 78 euros.

It’s well located for Canteras Beach and is the only hotel in the area with its own sun loungers on the beach.


A room with a sea view is a must. Alternatively, the views from the rooftop pool area (with sun loungers) are amazing, and there are screens to shelter you from any wind.

The promenade is just outside the back entrance to the hotel and is perfect for a stroll at any time of the day or early evening.

The food in the hotel is first-rate and there is free internet access in the reception area.


The annual Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is widely known not only in Spain but worldwide and is one of the main attractions for tourists.

Sydney

Located in New South Wales and known as Harbour City and The Gateway to Australia, Sydney is a dynamic and cosmopolitan city surrounded by gorgeous sandy beaches.

While the coastlines here are perfect in their natural state, there are quite a few that come with extras anyway - coffee bars, surf lessons, spas and even the odd dolphin, if you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Sydney can more than cater to all your seaside needs!

Bondi Beach


The most famous beach in Sydney – if not the whole of Australia – has to be Bondi Beach. It’s a whole kilometre of golden sand and the closest beach to the centre of Sydney at approximately 20 minutes drive.

There is a vibrant café and restaurant scene on Bondi. Check out Campbell Parade, a strip of outdoor cafés and ice-cream bars running along the back of the beach. Just a street back from the parade you’ll find shops selling beachwear and streetwear.

On the beach itself you can learn to surf with Let’s Go Surfing, relax in the Icebergs Pool [above pic] or take part in the daily Bondi to Bronte Walk, starting from Bondi Beach and ending up at Tamarama Beach (nicknamed Glamarama) in Bronte, with refreshment stops and magnificent views along the way.

Manly Beach


More relaxed than Bondi, but somehow managing to be just as vibrant and fun, Manly Beach has all the essential criteria for a great day out – sun, sea, sand, surf, shops and spectacular views, not to mention a world-class dining scene.

Check out Oceanworld Manly, a fish’s-eye view of the underwater world. If you’re brave enough, try Shark Dive Xtreme, a scuba session with sharks. If you’re not that fearless, but still feeling adventurous, take a guided boat or shore dive with Dive Centre Manly.

For something a bit less adrenalin-filled, join the Manly to Spit Bridge Walk - a 10km stroll along beaches, through parks and forests and over cliffs and bushland.

At the weekend there’s the Manly Arts and Crafts Market, where you can buy such things as candles, jewellery, woodwork, paintings, leather and glassware.


Sydney and its beaches have been described as bold, brash and beautiful and this certainly seems to be the case. If you ever happen to be passing by Oz on your travels, stop and say “hi” to Sydney!

Berlin

Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany. Throughout the year, it plays host to many events - including Popkomm, Festival of Lights, Art Forum Berlin and the Berlin Marathon.

But the most impressive event to be held in the city this year is definitely Babylon – Myth and Truth. Here’s what the official website www.berlin.de has to say about it:

"With this major exhibition, the National Museums in Berlin, jointly with the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the British Museum in London, venture to explore the myth of Babel and the true facts surrounding the ancient city of Babylon: two worlds - one exhibition.

Truth
The first section of the exhibition exposes the roots of our Western culture by looking at the archaeological remains of Babylon, thus revealing what lies behind the legends. This section centres around the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way of Babylon. Over 800 objects are exhibited, among them statues, reliefs, votive offerings, architectural fragments and documents.

Myth
The second section of the exhibition regards Babylon as a metaphor for the dark sides of civilisation - repression and the lack of freedom, terror and violence, hubris and madness. In European art and culture, the myth of Babel is closely related to mankind's primal fears.

Here, visitors experience the mythical story of the rise and fall of Babylon as a city of sin and tyranny, as the site of the confusion of tongues and the metropolis of eternal apocalypse. They venture on an expedition to the mysterious roots of these ideas, their emergence and establishment throughout the centuries up to the current day. The story is not one of a historical truth about Babylon, but of a truth about a civilisation that needs the myth of Babel in order to understand itself."

The exhibition is open now until 5th October.

Chicago

My favourite thing about Chicago is the fact that it’s not just a normal city…it’s located next to a beach. This means that you can walk down the street with soaring metropolitan skyscrapers to your left and a relaxing, sandy beach with views across Lake Michigan to your right.

You could spend the morning shopping in the city and the afternoon sunning yourself on the sand, before going back into town in the evening to eat dinner in a restaurant or catch a show at one of Chicago’s many theatres.


Chicago’s Millennium Park is home to Cloud Gate – a large mirrored legume-shaped sculpture, which is the centrepiece of the AT&T Plaza and is appropriately nicknamed The Bean. If you photograph it from the correct angle you can capture a reflection of the city’s impressive skyline, as seen above.


Chicago hosts some of the world’s tallest buildings, including Sears Tower – the highest building in the western hemisphere – and the John Hancock Center, a building full of offices, restaurants and living accommodation. The photo above shows the gift shop on the top floor of the JHC.


The Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. provides a fascinating hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour of the city. It’s a two-hour, fully narrated tour that covers 13 miles of downtown Chicago. When you board the trolley, you receive a free Hershey's chocolate bar and Garrett popcorn sample. Book online before your trip and save 10 per cent off the ticket price.


There’s something for everyone in Chicago. It’s one of the best cities in the world for entertainment, shopping, sports, culture, cuisine and nightlife and is well worth a visit.

Dublin

“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!” and “What’s the craic?” may be stereotypical clichéd phrases associated with the Irish, but they are actually genuinely used by Dubliners.

In fact, one of the best things about this city is the people. In 2007, Dublin was voted the friendliest city in Europe. You won’t run out of people to party with while you’re here.

The most famous area for nightlife in Dublin is Temple Bar and attracts tourists from around the world, including numerous stag and hen parties from Britain.


Three of the Best Places to Drink in Dublin’s Temple Bar

Best Pub: The Temple Bar Pub
(www.thetemplebarpub.com)


A traditional Irish pub with traditional live Irish music, the unique selling point of The Temple Bar is its beer garden – a peaceful haven to sit and relax in the middle of this hectic area. The pub has Ireland’s largest collection of whiskeys from around the world, and the shop next door sells a wide range of pub merchandise, from t-shirts to hats to bar signs.


Best Bar: The Morgan Bar
(www.themorgan.com)


Situated in the Morgan Hotel, this is Dublin’s newest bar. It’s more sophisticated than most of the pubs in the area – with its soft leather seats and comfortable sofas, there’s a very cosmopolitan feel about the place. A great venue for a relaxing pre- or post-dinner drink with friends. And there’s a live DJ in the bar at weekends.


Best Nightclub: Club M
(www.clubm.ie)


Club M is one of Dublin’s most famous nightclubs and only has two rules: Dress to Impress and Be Happy, Not Drunk. Inside are four bars, many seating areas, a huge dancefloor and even two podiums. If you’re staying in Blooms Hotel you get a pass for yourself and three friends to enter the club for free on weeknights, and money off at weekends.


And all this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless other pubs, bars and nightclubs in Temple Bar – not to mention all the restaurants and cinemas – and whether you’re in Dublin for the weekend or a longer stay, you’d be crazy to miss out on experiencing the capital’s most famous partying district!

Venice

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Venice? I’ll take a shot in the dark and guess that you said, “Water”.

That’s what 99.9% of people would say. But there’s so much more to this city than just the canals.

The food, for instance. Venice is where you’ll find the best pizza and ice-cream in the world. Don’t believe me? See for yourself:


Look at the size of that pizza!


And the variety of ice-cream!

Is your mouth watering yet?

Everyone has eaten these foods before, and most people love them. So it’s worth going to Venice just to try them made the authentic Italian way – it’s so much better!

Other things to do while in Venice – apart from eat!


Take a gondola ride
There are no cars in this city so if you want to get anywhere, you have to walk or take a boat. The classic gondola ride is quite expensive (starting at 80 euros for 40 minutes) but for just 50 cents you can get on the traghetto, a commuter gondola-ferry that crosses the Grand Canal. Bargain!


Visit Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square)
For a spot of culture, go to Piazza San Marco while you’ll see Basilica di San Marco (St Mark’s Basilica, above), Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) and Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower). The piazza is huge and notorious for its pigeons, so watch out for birds suddenly flying in front of your face! And don’t buy a coffee from any of the cafés on the piazza – one espresso can cost 11 euros.


Go shopping
You won’t find any malls or department stores in Venice. Instead, you’ll notice many markets and small shops such as antiques shops and bookstores. Venice is known for its glass and lace, and there are loads of market stalls around the city selling glassware [such as the masks above] and a plethora of lace vendors on Piazza San Marco.


Tackle the bridges
Try and walk over every bridge in Venice. I bet you won’t succeed; there are 409!

London

As a Londoner, you’d think I’d have loads to tell you about the place. The truth is, it’s the city I’ve found it the hardest to write about so far.

This is because I’m so used to it, I don’t really notice all the tourist attractions. I walk past them on a daily basis without batting an eyelid.

I do, however, know my favourite places in the capital and I’m going to share them with you now.

The O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome)


Located in Greenwich, south-east London, this is my concert venue of choice. It holds 20,000 people and I’ve seen many shows there. But even when I don’t have tickets to an event I still like to go. Entertainment Avenue, inside the dome and surrounding the arena, has a fantastic array of shops, bars, restaurants, clubs and a Vue cinema, so it’s a great place to enjoy a meal, have a night out or just socialise with family or friends.

The West End


The entertainment centre of the capital and one of the busiest spots in London. Here are some of the best places to visit while you’re in the West End:

Leicester Square
Leicester Square boasts a wide variety of shops, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and restaurants – including my personal favourite, the Haagen-Dazs restaurant. The Trocadero shopping centre just west of the square is fantastic – visit Designer Sale Shop for fashionable designer clothing at knock-down prices. Leicester Square is a nice place to sit and have lunch while engaging in a spot of people-watching or even some celeb-spotting, as Capital Radio is broadcast from here.

Trafalgar Square
Just south of Leicester Square, this is where you’ll find Nelson’s Column. The square used to be full of pigeons but this is becoming less common as it’s now forbidden to feed them. In Trafalgar Square you can sit and eat by the fountains, take interesting photos or meet up with friends. The Café on the Square sells great food as well as hot and cold drinks at reasonable prices.

Covent Garden
Covent Garden is an Italian-style piazza packed with cafés, pubs, theatres, boutiques and the Royal Opera House. The only area of London licensed for street entertainment, it’s full of jugglers, mime artists and musicians. In the middle of the piazza is the famous Covent Garden Market where you can buy almost anything, from clothes to food to arts and crafts.

Oxford Street
Europe’s largest high street, and in my opinion, the best! It has over 300 shops and department stores including the world-famous Selfridges where you can buy absolutely anything. Just off Oxford Street you’ll find Bond Street, home to the most expensive shops in London – Gucci, Chanel, Versace, D&G, Armani and Tiffany’s, to name but a few. Even if you can’t afford the designer labels, go and have a browse.


While you’re in London, I suggest purchasing a ferry ride down the Thames. It’s a lot more scenic than getting the Tube. You get to see all the sights, such as Tower Bridge [above], Buckingham Palace, the London Eye [below], the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. I’ve done it before and I learnt a lot of stuff that I probably should have already known about the history of the city. And it’s beautiful at night.


Tip: If you’re planning a visit to London, bring enough money! London is more expensive than many other cities in the world.

Paris

Before my trip, I had high hopes for Paris. I even splashed out on a detailed guidebook to help me find my way around and to learn about the famous sights.

Unfortunately, while Paris is one of the most famous cities in the world, I also found it to be the most disappointing.

At the time I went, I was in the middle of reading The Da Vinci Code [NB. If you haven’t read it yet, you haven’t lived]. I wanted to visit the Louvre (where most of the novel is set) so that I could visualise it in my head properly as I read the book. This was, of course, before the film was released.


When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the large glass pyramid outside. A lot of people, especially Parisians, think it’s ugly but I liked it. It enticed me into the museum. I didn’t stay in there for long, though. Granted, I’m not a fan of art so I’m probably not the best person to comment, but I didn’t find it particularly exciting. I paid eight euros, went and had a look at the Mona Lisa, muttered, “Oh, is that it?” and, satisfied that I’d had my culture fix for the year, left. However, if you want to go to the Louvre, then don’t let me put you off. I’m sure it’s incredibly interesting – fascinating, even – if you appreciate that type of thing.


The Champs-Elysees was more my cup of tea. Full of restaurants and designer shops, I spent a considerable amount of time on Avenue Montaigne. Some of the more well-known shops along the avenue include Christian Dior, Chanel, Prada, Calvin Klein and Valentino. There was a queue outside Louis Vuitton which was impressive, if not slightly annoying.


The Arc de Triomphe was a let down, because it was literally just an old arch at the end of the Champs-Elysees. It’s in the middle of a roundabout so you can’t even get near it without risking your life by walking into the crazy traffic with its even crazier drivers beeping and swearing at each other (I know they were swearing, because I can speak French). It’s somewhat terrifying.


I decided that a visit to Paris wouldn’t be complete without a trip up the Eiffel Tower, which I must admit I enjoyed. On each level as you ascend, there are museums, cafes and gift shops, and a viewing gallery on the third and final level (at 899 feet, or 274 metres) where you can see for 50 miles (80 km) on a clear day. However, I was there in the evening. It was still a great view though – the whole city was lit up and actually looked quite pretty. The tower illuminates at night too [see above pic] and looks extremely impressive.

But my verdict is: Unless you’re desperate to go, don’t bother with Paris. It’s overrated.