Germany Travel Guide, climate:

Germany Travel Guide - Information and Advice Germany Travel Guide Information and Advice Germany Map | Map of Europe Berlin Travel Guide | Heidelberg Travel Guide Germany Travel Guide, climate: Best: May-Sept. Worst: Nov-March . Short daylight hours, cold and grey, but snow helps the ambience and Christmas fairs in December are light and lively, especially in Munich, Berlin, Heidelberg, Lübek and Munster. Length of stay: Minimum worthwhile stay, not including flights: Berlin for a wild weekend. Recommended: 2 weeks to have a reasonable look at this huge country. Germany Festivals Guide: early December - late January, Lübek Ice Sculpture Festival . Glittering ice art in a gorgeous town. end of January, International Dog-Sled Racing in Todtmoos, two days . Thousands of dogs and many more spectators enjoy this event, particularly the torchlit night races. Feb/March Heidelberg Fasching - this elegant town's answer to Mardi Gras, with local festivities and parades. Feb/March Carnivals in many cities but the three best are in Dusseldorf, Cologne and Mainz. massive, colourful and vigorous. E aster week, Berlin Opera Festival . end of March, Munich Ballet Week. Top performances from international stars. early April, International Dance Theatre Days in Weimar. Wild dance in east Germany . early May, The Rhine in Flames [1st Saturday of May]. Towns south of Bonn, on the river Rhine, explode with celebrations and massive firework displays. end of June, Christopher Street day, Berlin. A monster Gay Pride parade and street party. mid July, Love Parade, Berlin - the wackiest of local festivals, a weekend of ecstatic body-baring by 1.5 million techno- ravers. most of August, Wagner Festival at Bayreuth - very expensive and elitist, held in the unusual theatre that Wagner built. most of August, Berlin International Dance - a wide range of innovative, international dances. l ate September for 2 weeks, Oktoberfest, Munich, mainly about downing vast quantities of beer and bratwurst then behaving badly with your neighbours. All December, Christmas Markets and Fairs in many cities and towns, especially Munich, Berlin, Heidelberg, Lübek and Munster. For some precise dates see: European Festivals or Arts Festiva ls . Activities Guide: Hiking: Germany's favourite outdoor pastime so trails are well developed and supported . They are also in some superb locations including the Alps, the Hartz Mountains, the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest. Biking: German efficiency and politically correct attitude combine to produce a mass of excellent city and rural cycle paths, well-posted, little used yet in awesome surroundings. During April- September many rail stations rent bikes which can be returned to other stations in the 'Fahrrad am Banhof' scheme. Canoeing and windsurfing: There is no shortage of rivers and lakes for strong-arm travel. Lake Constance down south in Bavaria is especially popular. Skiing: As with hiking and biking, there're plenty of places for gorgeous downhill and cross-country skiing, well-organised too, as you would expect. Germany Star Guide: Monuments *** Shopping and souvenirs *** Walkability **** Food Quality and Variety *** Value for Money *** Hotel Prices and Value ** Beaches * Wildlife *** Landscape *** Local People *** Architecture *** Safety **** Nightlife and Clubbing **** Health Problems none Museums ***** Accommodation guide: Hotels are plentiful and not necessarily pricey. Guesthouses and pension are also common and even better value. The only problem - apart from festival time when you should book way ahead - is in the east where you might have to take a room in a private house. Campsites are always well set-up but popular in the summer so plan to check in early in the afternoon. Why Travel to Germany? Apart from any interest in the huge historical and industrial impact of Germany on the world and especially on Europe, the country offers tourists many attractions: lovely rustic towns with well-preserved traditions; sophisticated cities sporting avant-garde art; spectacular castles; vast forests and mountains , and plenty of classic art and culture to fill in the cracks. With native sons such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel and Wagner, music is big in Germany, and not all of it classical. Berlin in particular is a breeding ground for youth-led musical outrage. Other artistic and intellectual spheres also embrace outstanding names. e.g. Goethe, Brecht, Einstein, Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Kant, Beuys, Ernst... the list goes on and on. This is a country with a HUGE past and a pretty enormous present. The future? Hmmm... Downside: - It may be surprising how many Germans speak no English. - Outside sophisticated towns eating often means meat and two veg, filling but not thrilling. Where to travel in Germany: East: - *** Berlin , a wild and exciting capital city, if not particularly sympathetic or staggeringly beautiful. See Berlin Travel Guide . - ***Leipzig. This laid back, pretty old town, is a musical pot of gold, the home of Wagner, Mendelssohn and Bach. All sorts of fine music is available in relaxed environments, from club to classical. - **Weimar is a minor city but a major tourist attraction for Germans, the place that launched a thousand quips - Nietzsche, Goethe, Klee, Kandinsky, Liszt and Bach [Bach again? How many homes did he have?!] all considered this home. More sobering, Buchenwald concentration camp is also here. W e st: - ***Lübek , a charming medieval town and UNESO World Heritage site, it's in the far north of Germany, not far from less attractive but very lively Hamburg. - **Cologne, beside the Rhine, is notable for its sights, including the massive cathedral, its colourful Christmas market and its outrageous Carnival. - *Frankfurt. A transport nexus and business centre, Frankfurt is cosmopolitan and offers the culture vulture a trove of superb galleries and museums. It's convenient for Heidelberg and the Rhine Valley. - ***Heidelberg. A small, relaxed, charming university city, with river, castle and old town. Near the Rhine Valley. See Heidelberg Travel Guide . Bavaria: - ***Munich - capital of Bavaria - is Berlin's main rival, deservedly so as it's relaxed yet sophisticated, spacious yet compact, with grand old buildings galore and the Alps only an hour away. - ***Füssen [or nearby Schwangau] in Bavaria is for lovers of fantasy castles, with mad King Ludwig's three spectacular offerings clustered around here, including Neuschwanstein. But the town is also attractive, as are the Alps nearby. The Great Outdoors: - ***The Rhine Valley is Germany's Top of the Hops, the best outdoor experience in the country. Hills, river, castles, vineyards combine to overpowering effect. And in May there's the epitome of river fever, The Rhine in Flames festival [see left]. Cruises through the spectacular Rhine Gorge are a favourite tourist experience. - **Hartz Mountains. Another excellent destination for all season outdoor sports freaks, and closer to most tourist destinations than the overblown Alps. Cuisine Guide: This is not a good destination for dieters. Traditional German food is heavy, fatty and sweet - or both - and tasty too if you have a simple palate. Meat, as you would expect, is a key ingredient, with sausages heading the menu, while potatoes, dumplings and chunky bread are the carbohydrate support act. This style is especially prevalent in east Germany. In the more sophisticated towns less disastrous foodstuffs are available, even vegetarian, and ethnic restaurants pop up everywhere, particularly Italian, Turkish and Chinese . A wonderful selection of beers and sweetish wines are also no help to modern tastes and waists. Few menus outside tourist-targeted restaurants show English translations, and German is not an easy language to guess, so consider bringing a phrase book along, or learn food vocabulary in advance. Germany Tours Tour operators offering travel in Germany can be found in our listings here: Germany Tours For links to Tourist Offices, Embassies, Cheap Air Tickets, Currency Converter, Climate, Language advice, other online Travel Guides and more, visit Bugbog Travel Directory Visas: EU citizens are free to travel wherever, whenever in Germany, while nationals of USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan do not need a visa for up to 3 months, though you should carry your passport. Electricity Guide: Electric sockets are 230v and take 2 round pin or 2 flat pin plugs. Safety Guide: Germany is safe - though less so the east half - and locals are unlikely to dip their hands in your pockets, but new East Europeans are not so restrained, so take the usual precautions. Language: When you meet Germans abroad they always seem to speak excellent English - albeit with a harsh accent. Not so at home! It's worth learning a few key phrases to lube your travels, particularly food words as menus are rarely translated into English and guessing doesn't work well in German. Intercity Travel Guide: Trains are excellent in Germany, particularly ICE [Intercity Express]. Buses, though cheaper are a lot less comfortable and slower. Self drive is a great way to travel distances apart from the occasional jam and some intimidating driving on the autobahn [motorways]. Local Transport: Generally trains are the way to go, if they are available - which they are in urban areas. Buses are less ubiquitous while taxis are expensive. The S-Bahn is overground rail, the U-Bahn undergound. i.e. the metro. Money: The Euro is used in Germany. Costs are a little high though consuming fast food is one way to keep expenses [along with your lifespan] down. Tipping is not necessary in restaurants, but taxi drivers expect about 10%. Pictures are courtesy of the German Tourist Board. If you plan to travel Germany you may find these other Bugbog guides useful: Austria Travel Guide Czech Republic Travel Guide Hungary Travel Guide Belgium Travel Guide France Travel Guide UK Travel Guide Italy Travel Guide Travel Pictures | Destination Finder | Exotic Places | World Festivals | World Wonders | Safari Wildlife | Beaches | Top of Page European Places | Walking Tours | Travel Health | Travel Safety | Travel Directory | English Speaking Places | Tours Gap Year | Site Map | Travel Guide Homepage | Contact | Press | Advertising | Legal | Maps | Travelogue © 2000-2005 Bugbog

France travel services from

France cycling and walking tours from France tour specialists where you save time and money. DISCOVER FRANCE FRANCE BICYCLE TOURS FRANCE WALKING TOURS FRANCE GETAWAYS PARIS TRIPS PARIS HOTELS Theme Travel » Honeymoons Family Trips Wine/Cooking Paris Packages His & Her Custom Travel Gay/Lesbian Promotions Group Travel Club Trips Info Languedoc -this winter Wine/Cuisine fr 984 Euros Happy Holidays! Oh, and between family gatherings - don't forget you can save by booking before Dec 31! Tour de France 2006 - The program is out and so are our tours, including Etape du Tour. See the programs here. Check out our New interactive Language Section! Latest Headlines on Cycling Millar to ride for Spanish team Armstrong faces defamation trial Cooke on road to Games recovery © 2006 Discover France (SM) Bienvenue! We are specialists in bicycle tours in France as well as hiking tours in France and specialty travel throughout France. Discover France offers a wide range of France travel services from Paris to the countryside. We are here to give you the best advice for a France vacation to remember! We are the leaders and specialists in active vacations in France for cycling tours and hiking/walking tours throughout France, with creative itineraries that feature the best of each region at the greatest possible value to you. On our bicycle tour and walking tour Web pages, you'll find more than 30 different self guided tour itineraries, lasting as few as four days or as many as 14 days. The physical demands of the tours range from easy to challenging - but all offer unique opportunities to discover French culture and lifestyle. Our bicycle tours and walking vacations offer you a great deal of independence yet provide support when you need it. This formula is the best value you will find with nearly all tours priced under $1500 with top quality hotels , and has made for very satisfied travelers! In addition to cycling and walking tour vacations in France, other out-of-the-ordinary experiences are available for the Tour de France , honeymooners, and we can handle custom groups and themes tours. We offer many France travel services that you can choose on an "a la carte" basis as well. Some sample France tours are cooking tours and wine theme tours, and of course for our mainstay bicycle tours and walking tours we can customize the itineraries as best we can to meet your travel needs. Our Paris Passes section offers Museum Passes , Paris hotels, Paris metro passes , Paris airport transfers, shows, Paris day tours, and just about everything else you may need for a complete Paris vacation. Latest News from Yahoo Henry brace fires resurgent Gunners (AFP) Head of Italian insurer Unipol resigns over takeover bids charges (AFP) German says Zarqawi behind her abduction (Reuters) Home | Cycling Classics | Pure Adventures | Bicycle Tours | Walking Tours | Media | Links Promotions | Travel Agents | FAQs | French Language | Newsletter | Group Travel | Privacy | Site Map

Switzerland Travel

Switzerland Travel Information | Lonely Planet Destination Guide worldguide | shop | thorn tree forum | travel services | travel ticker | theme guides | on the road | postcards | travel links : Explore Switzerland Switzerland Leave the lederhosen at home and get in line with the stylish Swiss. At a Glance Fast Facts WORLDGUIDE Introduction Background Info See Image Gallery Events Transport Money RELATED Thorn Tree Forum Postcards Travel Links More Places Check out our other destinations: Within Switzerland Geneva Interlaken Zurich View Map Click here Feature Attraction Great St Bernard Pass Hospice Museum Perhaps the Great St Bernard Pass should be renamed the Great Alsation Pass. It might save the local rescue dogs at the local hospice some embarrassment. ... more Switzerland may be neutral but it is certainly not flavourless. The fusion of German, French and Italian ingredients has formed a robust national culture, and the country's alpine landscapes have enough zing to reinvigorate the most jaded traveller. Goethe summed up Switzerland succinctly as a combination of 'the colossal and the well-ordered'. You can be sure that your trains and letters will be on time. The tidy, just-so precision of Swiss towns is tempered by the lofty splendour of the landscapes that surround them. Factoid You Fondue? Most of the world left fondue back in the 70s, but in Switzerland it's always in style. The classic fondue is bread dunked in Emmental and Gruyere cheeses mixed with white wine and flour - consumed, of course, on shag-pile carpet. SPONSORED LINKS Enquire Accomodation Reviews Find Lonely Planet author reviewed places to stay * Required Fields Country * Please select Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada China Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Egypt England Estonia Finland France Germany Hungary Iceland India Ireland Israel & the Palestinian Territories Italy Japan Malaysia Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Poland Portugal Russia Scotland South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Taiwan Thailand Turkey USA United Arab Emirates Vietnam City * Please select Travel Services · Flights · Hostels · Hotels · Travel Insurance More Services › Disclaimer: We've tried to make theinformation on this web site as accurate as possible, but it isprovided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injuryor inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information.You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety,customs and transportation) with the relevant authorities before youtravel. text & images © lonely planet 2005 about us | privacy | feedback | advertising FAQs worldguide | shop | thorn tree forum | travel services | travel ticker | theme guides | on the road | postcards | travel links

Ski Vacation

Colorado Ski Vacations and Lodging Colorado Mountain Ski Resort SkiColorado.com offers world class accommodations throughout Aspen , Beaver Creek , Breckenridge , Copper Mountain , Crested Butte , Durango , Keystone , Snowmass , Steamboat , Telluride , Vail & Winter Park Colorado. Choose from thousands of Hotels, Condominiums, Private Homes & Lodges. Contact a SkiColorado.com reservation specialist to help plan your next unforgetable Colorado Vacation. Home Contact Us Hot Deals Reservation Request Snow Report Guest Services Real People! Real Answers!™ 1-888-604-5848 Search for lodging by Resort or # of Bedrooms. Enter your arrival date and # of nights. Resort: Bedrooms: Arrival Date: # of Nights: All Resorts Aspen Beaver Creek Breckenridge Copper Mountain Crested Butte Durango Keystone Snowmass Steamboat Summit County Telluride Vail Winter Park Any Hotel Studio 1-Bdrm 2-Bdrm 3-Bdrm 4-Bdrm 5+Bdrm Home - Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 - 05 06 07 - 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Our Agents "Live & Work" in Colorado! 1,000's of Luxury Properties 1 to 5+ Bdrm Condos & Private Homes Exclusive Hotels Attentive Guest Service Extensive Local Knowledge Complete Travel Packages Featured Resort Aspen Featured Resort Beaver Creek Featured Resort Steamboat Featured Resort Vail Colorado Partners: Colorado Central Reservations About Us Privacy Groups Quick Links Aspen Lodging, Beaver Creek Lodging, Breckenridge Lodging, Copper Mountain Lodging, Crested Butte Lodging, Durango Lodging, Keystone Lodging, Snowmass Lodging, Steamboat Lodging, Telluride Lodging, Vail Lodging, Winter Park Lodging, Ski Colorado Other Links Park City Utah Lodging Club Lespri Moguls Mountain Travel

Spain Travel

spain travel books, spain maps, spain guidebooks - travel bookstore - Stanfords About Stanfords We've Been There Site Guide Contact Us MAPS AND TRAVEL BOOKS FOR SPAIN Stanfords stocks the widest range of maps and travel books for Spain in the UK. Our selection includes country maps, regional maps, street plans, thematic tourist maps, wallmaps, travel guides, photographic books, travel literature, phrasebooks and history books. Visit Stanfords and find the right map for your planned holiday or be inspired by our maps and books to new travels around Spain. You can search our online catalogue by region or by product category, or go straight to the full listing of our stock for the country. Search Spain Catalogue by Any Region Andalusia & Southern Spain Balearic Islands Canary Islands Catalonia & North East Spain Costa Blanca Costa Brava Costa del Sol Extremadura&Western Spain Formentera Fuerteventura Gomera Gran Canaria Hierro Ibiza La Palma Lanzarote Madrid&Central Spain Majorca Minorca Northern Spain Picos de Europa Pyrenees Sierra Nevada Sierra de Gredos Tenerife Valencia&Eastern Spain Way of StJames(Spanish Section) or Any Product Category Country Road Maps Country Road Atlases Regional Maps Walking Maps Cycling Maps Wall Maps Travel Guides Walking Guides Accommodation Guides Travel Literature Food&Drink Phrasebooks Spain Catalogue Spain Maps Spain Books Spain Newsletter Stanfords Home About Stanfords Spain Maps Spain is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe and the variety of maps from different publishers reflects the high interest the country attracts at any stage of the year. We stock Spain road atlases and maps by GeoCenter , the Michelin , Freytag&Berndt and Insight Guides , which all go down to minor road detail and often include street plans of major cities and towns. If you are visiting a particular region of Spain, the availability of high quality Provincial Maps produced by the Instituto Geogrfico Nacional makes it more convenient to buy the one sheet you will require. They are a convenient scale and size and carry tourist information. We stock detailed topographic maps for the popular walking areas of Southern Spain, the Pyrenees, the Way of St James and the Picos de Europa produced by Editorial Alpina , Rando Editions , Editorial Penibetica , Instituto de Cartografia de Andalucia and Adrados Ediciones . Catalonia has its own Survey, Institut Cartogrfic de Catalunya , which produces some of the best topographic mapping in the world. We regularly keep sheets covering the most popular areas in stock but can provide all on order within a fortnight. Less up-to-date and a bit slower in coming in are the Spanish Military Survey sheets, which cover the whole of the country at 1:25,000. They can come in handy for areas not mapped by other commercial publishers and the popular sheets, mostly covering the Sierra Nevada and Southern Costas region are updated more regularly. You will find grids that will help you choose the sheet covering the area you require. Look out for the coverage images and the samples of cartography we add to the text description of thematic tourist maps as they will provide you with extra information to choose the right map for your needs. Spain Guide Books The choice of travel guides available for Spain is very broad and takes in the demand for popular destinations as well that for lesser-known corners of the country. Guidebooks to the whole of Spain are published to suit the tastes of different audiences: budget, luxury accommodation solutions, family-friendly, culture holidays, activity holidays, gastro-tourism, etc. In our descriptions we highlight the qualities of each title and try to give you an idea of the details that make one guide different to the others in the list. Among the publishers in our Spain books catalogue are Footprint Handbooks , Lonely Planet , Rough Guides , the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness guides, Cadogan , Insight Guides but also minor publishers of quality titles or travel books. There is an increasing number of guides dedicated to individual regions or cities. Southern Spain and Barcelona are dedicated the most attention but all regions of Spain are gradually being covered by one publisher or the other. All available Time Out Guides to cities are regular stock as well as regional guides by the other major publishers. The popular walking regions are covered by titles from Cicerone and Trailblazer . The Way of St James is covered by various guides, some in its full extent, some dedicated to one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela. Special interests such as gastronomy, cycling and birdwatching are all provided for as well. As mentioned above, we also stock popular walking maps for Spain, ideal for planning your holiday route. Among the accommodation guides we stock, are titles exclusive to Stanfords in the UK, such as the Official Guide to Campsites and the Official Guide to Hotels by the Spanish Tourist Office, Turespaña . Our travel literature selection includes classics such as Gerald Brennan's South From Granada , an affectionate account of life in the Alpujarras after the First World War, Chris Stewart's bestselling Driving Over Lemons , about how he and his family left the UK for life on Andalusian farm and Robert Hughes learned portrait of Barcelona as well as worthy recent titles analizying contemporary Spanish society and culture. Next to wordy introductions to Spain, we have a fine range of picture books, which capture the beauty and special charm of the country in its colours and shapes: from illustrated portraits of individual cities to itineraries through regional countrysides, from architectural guides to regional cookery books. Spain in Stanfords Newsletter and We've Been There We have a quarterly online newsletter which carries information on all new maps and travel guides, travel-related events, features from travel experts and destination guides which we send out to subscribers and is available to all visitors to the site. Spain has been featured in the Destination Focus of our newsletter . We often have country-themed evenings in our branches in London, Manchester and Bristol and Spanish evenings are always a favourite amongst our customers, be it for the discounts on all stock for the country or for the copious amount of delicious Rioja wine poured in their glass as soon as they walk through the door! To keep up-to-date with our calendar of events, you can either sign up with our newsletter or remember to visit our events page to which we add events as soon as they are confirmed. Don't forget to keep an eye out for Spanish destinations on our We've Been There page. This is where we publish our staff's recommendations on the best maps and travel guides for the places they visited. It's regularly updated and they're all seriously dedicated to independent travel, so you can be sure the maps and books are thoroughly road-tested! About Stanfords We've Been There Site Guide Contact Us © Stanfords Maps and Books 2004