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Over the bridge gets you to Villeneuve les Avignon, which is quieter and more bearable than Avignon proper. It's also in the Gard rather than Vaucluse, so it's gutsy Languedoc rather than pretentious Provence.
There's a good campsite and the bars and restaurants are affordable. From there you can make raids on foot to the cultural quarters, and still get back for a quiet pastis.
Take a trip to the Alpilles region from Avignon.
Admire the beautiful, walled city of Avignon from the viewpoint of its twin town of Villeneuve. Avignon’s Palace of the Popes was home to a number of fourteenth-century popes and across the wide, meandering River Rhone is Villeneuve lez Avignon, the town where the papal courtiers lived.
The walk to Villeneuve, which takes about half an hour, crosses the Rhone and involves a gentle, uphill approach to the sleepy town, which boasts a medieval monastery, a fort and a citadel plus a plethora of pavement cafes. Perfect for an afternoon visit, there are regular buses if you can’t manage the walk.
Catch tram 10 to Westergasfabriek and explore the converted 19th-century gas-work buildings which have now been transformed into a relaxing leisure area, away from the energy of the city.
Don't actually stay in Amsterdam, stay in Harrlem, a suburb a few miles away, instead - it's much more pleasant.
A fab place a short way out of the city, good bus route straight there. Kind of theme park which is excellent and fantastic beach and hotels, if you can have a night there defo recommend it.
Just a short bus ride out of the city
www.sentosa.com.sg
Once you have explored the varied architecture, trendy shopping and vibrant cafe culture of the city centre and want a more laid back, yet very chic urban experience, take the number 111 or 46 bus from the city centre and get off by the Metropolitan pub on Lapwing Lane or Burton road (about 3.5 miles south of the city centre). This is the heart of West Didbsury. It is full of chic little boutiques, retaurants, bars, curious little shops, art shops, furniture shops, a couple of small supermarkets and so on. Everything you need concentrated into a small area, full of really nice people.
The age range here is much lower than the national average, having said that there are plenty of more "mature" people coming here for the excellent restaurants.
Best place to start is with a laid back coffee or glass of wine (perhaps light lunch) at the Assembly. Sit outside on the veranda if you can. It's great for people watching. If you are there in the evening, perhaps try the Lime Tree next door(also has a veranda) which is one of the most sought after restaurants in the city and then I recommed trying the One Lounge bar on the corner of Lapwing lane and Burton road or M20 cocktail bar not far from there down Burton Road. Also the magnificent Metropolitan Pub/Restaurant (opposite). It's one of the most famous pubs in Manchester.
From West Didsbury you can either walk or drive about a mile to Didsbury village. Or take the 23 bus. Didsbury main high street which is also known as Didsbury village (though villagey it is not!) is the more traditional but still very fashionable part of the area. It's much larger than West Didsbury with even more restaurants and shops than West Didsbury, but perhaps more of a traditional family environment with slightly older crowds than West Didsbury. There is still a younger crowd in the evenings and weekends, especially on sunny days, with pretty much all the bars and restaurants having outside seating. I would recommend eating at Felicini Italian restaurant. It's one of the best known in the city. You probably need to book ahead though (as you do for the Lime Tree in West Didsbury).
look up post code M20 2WS on multimap.
Next time you get that flight with Ryanair to Santiago de Compostela. Leave the city behind you and visit the countryside. I would recommend the area known as the Ribeira Sacra (holy river banks). Great wines, food and a very peaceful countryside, which looks and feel ancient. They say there are Celtic connections between Galicia and Ireland.
A stay at Casa Santo Estevo is a great central location for this visit. Located near to the Rio Mino it is easy to travel to Lugo, Ourense, Monforte de Lemos plus the Ribeira Sacra. The house is run by expats, from the U.K. and The Netherlands, so language will not be so much of a problem!
The food is out of this world, mainly local receipts but with some from other parts of the world too. Look at the website for the house. Not only is there information about the property but the area around too. I had a great time there letting time wash past me.
At Rottnest Island you can find wonderful beaches - we had the whole bay to ourselves. A bus service runs or you can hire a bike to get around as there are no cars on the island. Also, the Pinnacles has beautiful views and is worth a trip to see
Catch a ferry from Freemantle to Rottnest. The Pinnicles is about three hours' drive north of Perth
Set in jungle about an hour outside of Luang Prabang, the Kuang Si waterfall is a spectacular series of cascades and clear turquoise pools. Quite a climb to the top but you can cool off with a swim in the pools.
30km from Luang Prabang - can be reached by road or boat
High up in the limestone cliffs along the edge of the Mekong is the Buddhist pilgrimage site of the Pak Ou Caves. Accessible only by boat, the two caves have been filled with thousands of Buddha figures of all shapes and sizes over the years, apparently by local people who wanted to get rid of them but didn’t want to destroy them. Very atmospheric with spectacular views of the river.
25km from Luang Prabang, a 2-hour boat trip along the Mekong;
www.laos.co.uk/PakOu.html
Cádiz is reowned throughout Andalucía for it's long sandy beach and historic sites - most notably the Cathedral, Roman amphitheatre and the Cárcel Real (Royal Prison). All of these sites can easily be seen in 1-2 hours so you can spend the rest of the day at the beach, making Cádiz a worthwhile daytrip for families with children.
Cádiz is 125km (77 miles) south of Seville. Trains leave almost every hour from Santa Justa train station. Journey is 1 hour;
www.andalucia.com/travel/trains/home.htm
There are also regular buses from the main bus station in Plaza de Armas; www.andalucia.com/travel/bus/home.htm
Carmona is a beautifully located town founded by the Carthaginians and later made into a vital political and economic centre of the Roman and Moorish empires, giving it a glorious Roman necropolis with tombs, two gateways (Puerta de Sevilla and Puerta de Córdoba), a 15 century church (San Pedro) and an awe-inspiring Gothic Mudéjar-style church (San Felipe). There are numerous other Gothic churches, noble mansions and houses tucked away in the streets and squares of the old town, so just get lost in it all. To appreciate Carmona fully go up to the castle (now a parador) which looms over the town.
Carmona is 20 miles east of Seville, just off the motorway to Córdoba. Buses leave from Seville's Prado de Sebastian bus station (just across from Murillo Gardens) and the journey takes 1 hour.
Get out of Shanghai for a change of scene. Suzhou is a breath of fresh air from the high-energy city. An overnight stay is best as it gives you time to see parts of the old city as Marco Polo saw it... such as Ping Jiang Lu (parallel and east of the main North-South Lin Dun Lu) and at least one of the famous gardens (one garden is enough).
From the Railway Station, take a taxi from the taxi rank to the Kai Lai Da Ju Dian (Chinese for Gloria Hotel) on Gan Jiang Lu near Lin Dun Lu (10 yuan), which is a good base to catch your breath. The south end of Ping Jiang Lu is almost directly opposite the west side of the hotel; cross Gan Jiang Lu and walk north up Ping Jiang Lu alongside the canal to the second bridge where you will see the Ping Jiang Lodge, a very nicely preserved local-style inn where you can stay in historic surroundings for less than US$100 (I know - not so cheap). If you continue north on Ping Jiang Lu to the 5th bridge and turn right for 20m, you will see an equally ancient and interesting Tea House that’s well worth the visit.
If you want a cheap clean room, go over to Lin Dun Lu and walk north 500m to the China Mobile 'M-Zone' store - you will find a small hotel on the other side of the street in the small east-west side street (next to the hair salon on the corner) where you can get a room for US$30. Near here you can find Harry's Bar (150m south on Lin Dun - West side) where English speaking staff can help you! Also a great place to return to in the evening for music and good bar conversation with local expats.
Fast trains (train number beginning with 'T') run from Shanghai railway Station to Suzhou frequently and take from 40 to 50 minutes;
www.bootsnall.com/hotels/last-minute/cy/China/Suzhou;
www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g297442-Suzhou_Jiangsu-Vacations.html
Dead cheap and one of the best views of Florence. Drink in the Blu Bar (expensive, but fantastic views), eat in the pizzeria on the square opposite and take a walk up the hill for an even more spectacular view
Buy a bus ticket at any tabac and get the no 7 - it goes from Piazza del Duomo and stops in the square in Fiesole, just beside the Blu Bar (which is at Piazza Mino Da Fiesole, 39; tel: 055 597235).
Fiesole is a stunning little town, up a hill and 20 minutes from the centre of Florence. Here, albeit at a distance, is the best, free, all-round view of Florence, including the Duomo. As it's difficult to park in Florence, avoid stress by catching the No.7 bus from outside the rail station.
Fiesole is 5 miles (8km) from Florence. Buy a bus ticket at any tabac - it also goes from Piazza del Duomo.
Spent a few months in Florence as a student back in the 90s, a wonderful city which can be more beautiful out of season, even if the weather isn't so good. If you get a chance, try the little city of Fiesole a short bus ride up into the hills. It has a Roman amphitheatre which is still used and some delightful restaurants. A great day out if you want to get away from the busy streets of Firenze!
Fiesole us 5 miles (8km) from Florence. Bus no. 7 travels there from Piazza del Duomo. www.arca.net/tourism/toscana/fiesole.htm
Just outside Pinar del Rio, set admist pine trees and the curious Mogotes (rock formations), Vinales makes for the perfect weekend trip away from Havana. Cycles are cheap to hire and you can be guaranteed an exceedingly pleasant day exploring the tobacco plantations, the dos hermanos and the cuevo de los Indios around Vinales. There are loads of cheap casa particulares and the one we stayed in offered good home-cooked food. The bar on the main street stays open till late and quite often has live music.
The best way to get to Vinales is by bus from Havana, which takes about three hours. Accomodation is easy to find on arrival.
Get out of the city and head for the not too distant beaches of Cornwall, North Devon or the Gower in South Wales. Alternatively, Bath and its newly restored spa waters is only a short ride on the train.
Bath, Cornwall, South Wales, Devon.
The Vinales valley is fantastically scenic, with a flat valley bottom and weirdly shaped domed mountains rising sheer out of it. Very atmospheric when we were there in August, with mists and thunderstorms, and it's a completely different Cuba to the one you see in Havana. There are several hotels/B&Bs in Vinales village, and you can also hire scooters.
You can drive out to the Santo Tomas caverns in under an hour for a guided tour - well worth it, with 45 km of galleries, a bit of rope climbing is required - and you can even get to a beach at Cayo Jutia.
The roads are very quiet and in reasonable repair, and you can't get lost as the locals always point you in the right direction!
The nearest large town is Pinar del Rio, about two hours to the west of Havana.
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