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Cape Town is a city of spectacular sights! If in a chair, take a cruise from the V&A waterfront. The city and table mountain will float by. Many wine and safari tours are accessible too!
Kalimpong is about two-three hours by shared jeep from Darjeeling. Worth a trip (even if only for the views on route).
If you go to KP's Motor Stand & in Himalaya Travels ask for Gobinda Dradhan, he will take you on a (set fare) tour of the local sights - magnificent viewpoints and Dr Graham's home.
Best of all, Gobinda takes his time, does not hussle you into visiting shops and is very knowledgeable about the area.
The Calanques are a sort of French equivalent of fjords, with impressive white cliffs and neon aqua water. Boat tours run all day - you can choose whether you want to see three, eight or 10 calanques on your trip (the day we went the winds were too high to visit more than three) and we had a great time. On the way out you get to peek at some of the swanky houses perched on the edges of the smaller rocky cliffs, and as you travel into each inlet you'll be amazed at the colour of the water and the idyllic-looking beaches (the beach at Port au Pin is accessible by foot from the town centre, but you'll need to allow a good few hours for a round trip).
On the way back in you get a great view of the whole of Cassis harbour - don't forget your camera.
My girlfriend and I took a tour with Galway Walking Tours recently even though they were out of season. Aside from the usual historical info we were delighted to get plenty of funny stories about Galway events and characters.
galwaytours.ie
091 561386
Fountain in Eyre Square
This French tour company run fun and informative wine tours. I stumbled upon them when I stayed in Perpignan last week. They collected us from our hotel and brought us to four vineyards, all very different and interesting. We partook in a "how wine is made tour" and tasted some gorgeous wine. Lunch was in a chateau and matched with some fine wine.
The day was great fun and the scenery was amazing. We were very surprised by the quality of the Roussillon wines.
The company is run by two Irish sisters and they know the area really well, living there for the past 10 years. Highly recommend for a good value day out.
www.thefrenchtourco.com
Tel: 0033607421668
19 Bd Cassanyes, Canet, 66140, France
I am a South African (from Cape Town) who has just toured Johannesburg with my UK friend for five days. We used Jozi Experience. We lived in private houses, went to private parties, personalised Soweto/cultural tours. We felt part of the local community, not tourists.
Website: www.joziexperience.co.za
77, 4th Road, Kew. Johannesburg
Tel: +27 11 4400109
Excellent bed and breakfast in the centre of Salta. Recently renovated townhouse with sizable and very comfortable rooms run by Silka and Ricardo. Their hospitality was exceptional and they are very knowledgeable on what to see and do in both Salta itself and Argentina's north-west region.
We stayed there at the beginning and end of our tour of the Salta and Jujuy regions and they arranged our car hire before we left for Argentina.
Delicious breakfasts with homemade bread, pcs with internet access in each room, lovely city garden and library.
www.bedandbreakfastsalta.com
Tel.: +54 0387 4218736
Urquiza 329
Salta (A4402AYG) - Argentina
Once your kids can ride a bike there's no better way to see Paris than cycling about it. The high spot of our recent half-term break was a morning spent exploring the Marais, Bastille, Louvre, St. Germain de Pres, Les Halles and many back streets in between.
Our guide, Paul, founded Bike About Tours with a friend and gives a charming and personal view of a city he clearly loves. Some of his enthusiasm rubbed off on the kids who particularly relished spotting locations from Ratatouille, or finding out how many Parisians slip in dog poo each day. Paul takes only safe back streets and cycleways, stopping for lunch at a boulangerie on the way.
Every so often we would park the bikes and explore a secret garden or a hidden alleyway on foot, letting Paris work its magic on children and adults alike. By the end of four hours we felt like we belonged. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
www.bikeabouttours.com
www.pret-a-rouler.fr
+33(0)624580215
Meet 10am by Charlemagne's statue in front of Notre Dame Cathedral
Paradissa Travel specializes in adventure tour and luxury travel packages in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Ground Floor, 166 Tran Quang Khai Street
Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi , Vietnam
Tel: 844 926 3509; Fax: 844 926 3508
Email: info@paradissa.com
www.paradissa.com
David is an experienced walking leader and expert history and wildlife guide with great personality. Offering day walks, tours and holidays from Yunquera, hidden in the unspoilt Sierra de las Nieves, close to Ronda and only an hour from Malaga airport, yet it seems a different world to the Costa del Sol. Fantastic value - David walks and guides for the joy not for profit. Check out the website...
www.walkspain.com
1hr Malaga Airport.
These tours are often run from backpackers'. They tour the conventional destinations, the Hollywood sign, Venice beach etc but they take you to Watts Towers, past the Viper Room, Compton and the more notorious locations. They also drive by celebrity houses. All done in a day so for those on a tight schedule, great!
Grand palace built for the emperor of China, fantastic site. To get the full experience I recommend the audio tour. Why? It guides you in English (or any other language) around the site explaining what went on. The best bit is the voice is none other than James Bond, Roger Moore.
Our last trip to Marrakesh allowed us to get to know the city more and we are here now to share some of our tips we hope you'll find useful.
If you want to see more of the city, take the guided bus tours. These buses have just been introduced in recent years. They are red, double-deck buses and offer continuous tours throughout the day. Get a 24-hour hopper ticket and you can get off at major stops that take you to Djamaa Lfna, Menara, Saadieen Toms, Koutoubia, Bahia palace, Median, etc. The buses are equipped with recorded messages in multiple languages that provide major highlights of the bus route.
The horse carts might charge more, but have that leisurely stroll around town. May not cover as much of the city as the bus tours. You can however ask the cart person for a short tour that your bus did not cover.
As far as where to visit, start with Djemaa el-Fna or assembly place of the nobodies. This is the centre point of Marrakesh. It is a large square where many of the budget hotels and souks are located. In the evening, there are rows of open-air food stalls, jugglers, snake charmers, storytellers and magicians. Around the square there are rooftop cafes and restaurants with balconies, where you can watch the entire spectacle.
On the other side of the square outside Median walls is the Bahia Palace. It was built in the 19th century as a residence of the grand minister of one of the sultans. It has wonderful gardens, fountains and a shady courtyard. The walls are decorated with Moroccan mosaics, and hand-crafted artwork.
To the front of the square is the Koutoubia mosque. It is the tallest (70m) and most famous landmark in Marrakesh, and is visible for miles in any direction.
The bus tours will also tale you to the Menara garden, which is the most popular among the Marrakshis because it is peaceful and relaxing. It houses the oldest and best-preserved of the three most famous minarets, as well as the largest.
There are many other places we could not see such as The Saadian Tombs, Majorelle Gardens... but I recommend that you don't miss Ali Benmalah or what many call Chez Ali: an impressive memorable Fantasia Show, acrobat, traditional Moroccan folk dance and a dinner fit for a king. A traditional event, it includes an opportunity to see the Berber folklore, the jugglers' performance, the flying carpet, the belly dancing and finally the Fantasia show.
www.ilove-marrakesh.com/chezali/
We had our hotel reservation made through www.asiarooms.com/ which we found offer very good deal on five-star hotels, just make sure you book way in advance.
The bus tour company does not have a site, but was recommended to us by hotel staff, you can't miss it if you ask, some hotels sell their tickets.
This ancient city clings to the side of a mountain high in the hills inland from Finike, on the Lycian coast of Turkey.
It's known as the 'Turkish Delphi', but one of the great things about Arykanda is that it's right off the beaten track, so you don't get the huge crowds you do in Greece. The ruins and setting are equally beautiful and impressive.
We were lucky enough to go there with an archaeologist, Peter Sommer, who knew the site and truly brought it alive for us. We were on a gulet cruise, visiting ancient cities along the way. I had no idea there were so many ruins in Turkey - and so well preserved! But it was Arykanda that really shone out.
Only a short ride from Stockholm, you will find a magnificent red brick building, which used to be a factory, brimming with activity. This is the 'science centre' Tom Tits Experiment.
Here children (and adults) can try out more than 400 experiments using water, wind, gravity, sound, light and movement while at the same time learning about themselves and the world around us.
The huge house has four floors, and an enourmous outside area for water experiments. There is a buffet restaurant serving food that will appeal both to the young and older taste buds, but there is also space for eating a packed lunch.
Tom Tits Experiment is located in Södertälje 35km south of Stockholm, close to the E4 and E20. If travelling by train from Stockholm, it is within walking distance from Södertälje station.
en.tomtit.se/
The building housing this wonderful collection of antiquities is purpose-built for the job. Although the number of items on display there is fewer than in Cairo Museum, I think that these exquisite pieces have been selected for their importance and beauty. The lighting of all exhibits is really superb. This gem is not to be missed, but if you're pushed for time you could go in the evening as they stay open quite late.
Konish el-nil, East bank
Outstanding tour taking you to places you would never find yourself. Loads of street art, scorching graffiti. Abandoned places, funky shops, markets. Hidden neighborhoods and cultural icons. These are the places locals go to. You'll hardly see a tourist all day. They offer a brilliant night tours as well: bars/clubs/secret spots. These guys know their stuff.
Begins at Alexanderplatz TV tower
www.alternativeberlin.com
Outstanding tour, taking you to places you would never find yourself. Loads of street art, scorching graffiti. Abandoned places, funky shops, markets. Hidden neighborhoods and cultural icons. These are the places locals go to. You'll hardly see a tourist all day. They offer a brilliant night tour as well: bars/clubs/secret spots. These guys know their stuff.
Begins at Alexanderplatz TV tower
www.alternativeberlin.com
Me and some friends went to Rio and we used a service down there that was pretty good. We contacted a place called Brazil Expedition and they booked some great tours for us.
We went to the Favelas, Maracana stadium and many other great places they had for us. I really recommend them, because it’s pretty good to have everything planed by such a great staff.
Eduardo
(21) 9998-2907 or (21) 7894-7523
This quirky little museum is located near New Road in Old Bangkok not far from many of the riverside hotels. The museum is in a traditional house, which was a family home, built before World War II. You can see an interesting collection of antiques, traditional household utensils and items of ceremonial significance. The museum is well laid out with lots of information in English. It takes less than an hour to visit and is included in the popular Bangkok tour offered by Exotissimo Travel.
www.exotissimo.com/travel-asia/thailand/th-tours/bangkok/discover-bkk-tours.html
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