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Accommodation directory for anyone wanting to book their hotel or B&B before they get to York. Also some local information on travel and attractions in York.
Kemi Ice Castle in northern Finland is a structure to behold! Once inside, action is divided into different areas of adventure and history. For example, an ecumenical prayer area called the ice sanctuary with pews covered in reindeer fur and religious crosses carved on the walls.
A 10 minute walk from the centre of town, the Ice Castle is right next to the water's edge. Tuck-up before you go, remember you'll be surrounded by walls of ice!
Great for kids (9 and over, could be a bit scary for younger ones) and big kids - enjoy an afternoon of some pretty gruesome tales of Amsterdam, especially on Halloween.
Near Dam Square
This is a former Heineken brewery and despite it sounding like a tourist rip off, it’s actually a great way to spend an afternoon. Not particularly well advertised, but well worth the 10 Euros.
The Rheinfalls is the largest waterfall in Europe. Located about 1/2 hour by car and under 1 hour by train from Zurich, they are a great day trip when you are visiting this pretty city. What is particularly interesting is how close you can get to the falls. There is a platform extending out over the water so that you can feel the power of the water as it rushes beneath you. If you still have not had enough, you can take a boat excursion right to the foot of the falls and even disembark and climb stairs to the top of a huge rock that is sitting squarely in the middle of the falls. For the less adventurous, there is a nice cafe that is well positioned so that you can enjoy watching the others while you stay warm inside.
For photos and a video, click the link below.
It is a simple rack and pin railway that takes you up into the Buda hills, from where you can have wonderful views over to Pest and go walking on various trails through the hills. You can also walk to the Children's Railway (a model railway entirely operated by children volunteers) from here, although we did not have time to do this I would recommend it.
It is Europe's third oldest cogwheel railway and when you go up into the snow covered hills in January its very pretty and very romantic.
It is also part of the BKV system therefore if you have day tourist travel tickets you can travel on the cogwheel railway along with the buses, trams and metro.
The lower terminus is opposite the Hotel Budapest in Buda, you can catch a tram to here from Moskva Ter and it only takes 10 minutes at most.
A great way to see the river Thames from an almost aerial view.
Southbank - Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1;
tel: 0870 990 8883;
www.londoneye.com
A real off the wall tourist attraction! A tongue in cheek art/spiritual/cultural exhibition located in an intriguing labyrinth of tunnels under castle hill. Strange music, odd statues, faux cave paintings and a real maze will keep you guessing what's round the next bend. Thoroughly enjoyable. We visited in winter when it provided much-needed relief from the subzero chill on the Hill. Drop your sulky kids off there whilst you take in the sights above ground..!
A back street on castle hill, Uri Utca 9.
The cemetery at Recoleta rightly draws the crowds, but the far larger necropolis at Chacarita is fascinating. It was created as a result of the city's yellow fever epidemic in 1871. Although it is officially for "ordinary people", you can see the vaults of such former icons as tango great Carlos Gardel and former president Juan Domingo Peron (his wife Evita, paradoxically, is over at Recoleta).
Two minutes' walk from Federico Lacroze underground station or "subte".
Nestled behind the Cathedral, the City History Museum tells the story of Barcelona in a series of buildings that are interesting in their own right. The highlight, though, lies beneath the medieval buildings where the Roman city has been extensively excavated and preserved. It's fascinating and an amazing achievement.
Pl rei 7, Barri Gotic. www.museuhistoria.bcn.es
The second largest aquarium in the world and the largest in Europe, this is a truly remarkable place to visit. Four habitat zones show life above the water, the central tank is huge, and you can even watch the penguins "fly" under the water.
Parque das Nações, at the south end of Doca dos Olivais
Canada celebrates its native people's history to a far greater extent than its southern neighbour, and this museum provides a wonderful introduction to an artistically rich culture.
The museum is actually across the bridge on the Quebec side in Hull, right on the banks of the river.
Originally built as a supply route (via the Ottawa River) between Montreal and the Great Lakes in the event of an invasion by the US that never happened, it is the longest working canal in North America and - in winter - the longest skating rink in the world.
You can rent bikes or skates at the canal near the Chateau Laurier Hotel.
This is effectively a museum pass which you can buy to cover 1, 3 or 5 days. It will get you into almost every Paris attraction you may want to see from the Louvre to Notre Dame, with the possible exclusion of the Eiffel Tower, it starts at 15euros for 1 day and gets progressively cheaper for longer periods The best bit isn't the museums it gets you into though, it's the fact that for places like the Louvre and the Orsay because you don't have to queue to get tickets you can skip large sections of the queuing process and just get straight to the interesting bits. It also encourages you to try the smaller museums you wouldn't have done before as you don't have to pay more to go in. They can be bought at any metro station or any museum or even at the eurostar terminal.
www.paris.org/Musees/mmc.html any metro station
A sumptuous palace, more fit for a fairytale queen than the wife of Friedrich I. Replete with intricately networked galleries and stairwells, and a majestic cupola. Head west on the U Bahn and get schlosst in the imperial splendour of its labyrinthine interior. The lavish ballrooms and bedchambers serve as a seamless conduit to the late 1700s when Freddy built this Beckhamesque summer-home for his bride Sophie-Charlotte.
The highlight is the west wing; packed to its gilded ceilings with generous rococo detail that would have Mr. Llewellyn Bowen prostrating himself on the parquet floors in awe of the designer’s decadent lack of restraint. The audio guide is a must and its sophistication is in keeping with the rest of the grandeur.
There’s a stunning backdrop to boot; marbled lawns and immaculate hedgerows, good enough to eat. These evocative gardens, delectably manicured in French Baroque, are wistfully nostalgic. More magical Prussian history than you can shake a pretzel at.
Charlottenburg, Altes Schloss
Spandauer Damm 20-24
14059 Berlin
Tel.: 32 091-440
www.spsg.de
[Line U2, Sophie-Charlotte-Platz]
In 1786 real estate was scarce in Paris, and overcrowded cemetries were too valuable to leave to the dead. The government decided reclaim the land by moving the bones to the empty underground limestone quarries at the edge of the city. By 1860, 5 to 6 million skeletons had been moved and arranged into mounds and macabre designs.
An unassuming black door opposite Denfert-Rochereau Metro station takes you to the underground passages.
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