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Sitting atop six huge hot water tanks on a hill in Reykjavik, Perlan (the Pearl) restaurant is one of the top eateries in Iceland, with prices that go with its reputation. One floor down, however, is the inexpensive cafe, where extended local families gather on the weekend to sip a beer and eat Italian ice cream. Surrounded by windows on all sides and with access to the viewing platform outside, this is a great place to take in all of Reykjavik and the mountains beyond. As the sun moves towards the horizon, the surrounding landscape becomes bathed in a wonderful golden light (weather permitting of course!)
Perlan - Öskjuhlid - 105 Reykjavik
www.perlan.is/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=102
Tel: (+354) 562 0200
In a city where people queue for miles to see a ceiling and flock to the site where thousands were slaughtered for entertainment, the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione is nonetheless an especially bizarre and macabre sight. This Capuchin church on Via Veneto is, in itself, unremarkable – what fascinates is what lies beneath. On entering the catacombs, where the skeletons of over 4,000 monks were interred over a period of a century, a gimlet-eyed woman instructs you sternly not to take photos and to have respect. You then enter to be greeted by the surreal vision of Bone Art: femurs zig-zag up the walls, clavicles form crosses, skulls pile high, under the eye of the flying monk skeleton on the ceiling. So let’s get this straight: taking photos would disrespect the remains, but making a lamp out of a skull is okay? Hmmm…
Location: Via Veneto 27 (near Piazza Barberini).
Crypt open: 9-12, 3-6, Friday-Wednesday.
Entry: Donation.
I agree that it is best to see the incredible Iguazu Falls from both sides of the border if you possibly can. The Argentine side gives you the chance to get up close to the falls, and the national park is so beautiful. The Brazilian side gives a better overview of the falls, and you realise just how huge an area they cover. Get there early - whichever side you're on - to beat the crowds, and especially on the Brazilian side where there is a bizarre queuing and bus system that means it can take a couple of hours to get from the gates into the park. Well worth it though.
This is the church with the very fine spire that dominates the castle district, but do go inside -- it was given a neo-gothic makeover in the late 19th century and almost every surface is painted with wild patterns or bird motifs or beautiful religious scenes. It's a bit William Morris, actually, not what you'd expect from the outside.
Trinity square at the top of the hill!
Off the beaten tourist track, but within walkable distance and very impressive - an aqueduct arch cum city gate, and a tomb in the style of a bread oven.
Get a certain distance out on the Via Appia, the tomb of Caecilia Metella or the Circus of Romulus perhaps, and walk back in, taking in the odd catacomb or church on the way, ending up at Porta Ostiense by the Pyramid of Cestius - what I call the Quo Vadis experience!
Get to Forum just before it opens (at 9am I think), and go straight in, in the cool of the morning and before it gets too busy. Or walk through it a few times and get to know it, perhaps on the way to the Palatine or Colosseum. And remember the other fora and try to ignore the Mussolini-era Via dei Fori Imperiali carved across them.
Unlike Ostia or Pompeii, there is absolutely no street plan or logic, just random buildings scattered across the landscape as Hadrian's whim took him. So it's very, very easy to get lost.
Built into the side of a bank, easy to walk past.
Get a Zone 2 Travelcard rather than Zone 1. Then go to Westminster Pier and take a boat to Greenwich (£6.80 single). There is a very informed commentary on all the sites you pass. When you get to Greenwich you can visit the Cutty Sark, market and Maritime museum, then use the Docklands Railway to get back and see all the modern sights of the East End.
Take a walk in Shinjuku at night. An awe-inspiring sight as this area of the capital becomes a neon wonderland! It has to be seen to be believed.
Shinjuku is easy to get to. It's on several JR lines including the important Yamanote line, as well as several subway lines.
Heldenplatz is where Hitler stood and proclaimed the Anschluss (Annexation). Stand in the middle and look around you. You have the Hofburg (Imperial Palace) behind you and you can see the two matching museums, the beautiful Rathaus (city hall) and the Burgtheater. Breathtaking.
Hofburg, 1010 Wien
Brilliant view over the city from the top of the Kahlenberg in the 19th district.
Take the 38a bus from Grinzing and just stay on the bus till the end of the line.
To really appreciate the city in style, either take a canal boat from Little Venice to Camden, or cycle from Maida Vale all the way to Kings Cross along the canals. Or go the slow way, by foot! You can stop off at any point to appreciate cafes, pubs, parks, city streets, London Zoo or Camden Market. Lush!
Nice place to start the journey is from the top of Golbourne Road near Portobello, or get on from Westbourne Park Tube and then just keep going until you can´t take it anymore!
For those not quite energetic enough to walk up Table Mountain, take the cable car. As it goes up the car rotates through 360 degrees, so you get all of the view without moving. At the top the views can be spectacular - depending on the weather. Keep an eye on the weather, as the cable car can be closed at short notice, if bad weather is expected. While you're up there, take a guided walk with one of the volunteer guides. You will hear about the flora and fauna but also a lot of information about the rest of the mountain and Cape Town
The oldest bridge in the Netherlands, this attractive bridge was built in 1280 and it links the old city centre with the station, located in the Wijk district.
Over the River Maas between Maasbrugstraat and Wijkerbrugstraat.
A system of dry trenches and bastions with bombproof shelters and mine galleries, built between 1773 and 1777 by du Moulin. It makes a nice break from the bustle of the city, being in grassland just outside. You can wander around the fortifications alone or take guided tours on Sundays all year round and Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in July and August
Entrance on Cabergerweg, on the north-western edge of the city centre. More information on the Maastricht tourist board website: www.vvvmaastricht.nl/Dagjeuit/?lang=en
An extensive series of man-made caves formed by the quarrying of stone used to build the city. You can take guided tours around two different parts of the caves, starting either at Chalet Bergrust or Buitengoed Slavante. The caves' temperature is a stable 9-10 degrees, so a trip can provide relief from a hot summer's day. The complex has often been used to provide shelter during wartime and in places you can see old stone stoves used for cooking by people hiding in there. The cave system is very extensive and stretches a long way across the border into Belgium. In the caves on the Belgian side, famous brewer Pierre Celis (inventor of Hoegaarden Wit) matures his Grottenbier, taking advantage of the stable temperature to bring out the flavours perfectly.
Details at the city's tourist information website at www.vvvmaastricht.nl/Dagjeuit/moreinfo.php3?ID=55&lang=en The entrances are a couple of kilometres south of the city centre on the west bank of the River Maas.
Every major city has one: Chinatown in London and New York; Le Quartier Chinois in Paris; Berlin is actually building one. So it may surprise you to learn that even cities in China have Chinatowns too. In Shanghai it’s the Yu Yuan area, a sealed-off district where development is not quite as rampant as elsewhere and the atmosphere of old China still pervades. At its centre is the famed Yu Yuan teahouse and classical gardens, plus the temple of the city god. Yu Yuan is pretty commercial these days – most of the area’s business is in selling tourist tat, but it’s still the place to go for Chinese arts and crafts.
A bit tricky to get to by Metro. Your best bet is a taxi.
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