Italy Travel

Italy Travel Guide and Destination Overview on Concierge.com Destinations USA + Canada > Europe > Caribbean > Latin America > Asia > Australia + Pacific > Middle East + Africa > See All > Ideas Beach + Island > Cruise > Culinary Travel > Global Style > Luxury > Romantic > Ski + Adventure > See All > Best Of Gold List > Readers' Choice Awards > Hot List Hotels > Hot List Tables > Hot List Nights > Ski Resorts > Top Spas > Gourmet Guide > See All > Tools Destination Finder > Hotel Finder > Forums > Travel Tips > Currency Converter > Maps > Photos > Weather > See All > Deals Booking > Travel Deals > See All > Destinations | Europe | Europe Condé Nast Traveler Read Condé Nast Traveler Subscribe to Condé Nast Traveler Articles > Lists > Travel Tips > Great Drives > Room With a View > Where Are You? Contest > Word Trips Contest > Subscribe > See All > forums italy Florence The history of art (Michelangelo, Botticelli,... more Rome A vibrant, modern, ancient, medieval,... more Capri Life on the edge (or ledge) at cliff-hanging... more Intro Map Fact Sheet Photos Why Go? The cities—enchanting Venice, design-mad Milan, enchanting design-mad Rome The country—from Tuscany to wherever they're calling the "new Tuscany" (this month, it's Puglia) Prosciutto, tartufo, bottarga, aceto balsalmico… All italy Guides Bologna Sicily Milan Tuscany Florence Capri Amalfi Coast Venice Cilento Coast Rome Puglia Italian Lakes Italian Lakes Milan Venice Bologna Florence Tuscany Rome Puglia Capri Amalfi Coast Cilento Coast Sicily Deals Brilliant Ski Destination in the Italian Alps Italian Idyll in Florence Five star elegance in Italy's couture capital Book your 2006 cruise now and get 2-for-1 fares, free airfare, and more Natural Beauty in the Italian Alps, Plus 1,000 Bonus Miles More Related Articles September 2005 Hotel degli Orafi Room 414, Hotel degli Orafi, Florence;... September 2005 Around the World in 50 Films They don't call them motion pictures for nothing:... July 2005 Isle Take It! Once a luxury reserved for the privileged few,... June 2005 The Cure Aquatic Being the European education of an American spa... May 2005 Ombudsman: Daylight Robbery Think your money is safe in the hotel room safe?... March 2005 Word of Mouth: La Dolce Villa Anyone with a place in the country owes a debt to... March 2005 A Roman Spring With star architects' magnet structures on... March 2005 Rome's New Mood As the fringe of the Eternal City undergoes a... January 2005 The Chef Comes With the Room G. Y. Dryansky ties on his bib in four of... January 2005 Great Hotel Chefs For G. Y. Dryansky's article, "The Chef... from CondéNast Traveler December 2005 Experiences That Only Insiders Can Deliver You can delve deeper into an unfamiliar culture... December 2005 Concierges, A User's Manual A mystery to many but a friend to all, the hotel... December 2005 Introducing the Fabulous 50 How does it feel to jump the line and savor the... November 2005 The Sea and Remembrance Of all the world's cities by the sea, none is as... November 2005 Peak Experiences Hitting the slopes in the Alps can cost less than... October 2005 Ombudsman: Wheels of Misfortune A scarcity of vehicles at Europcar in Venice... From our Forums Share opinions, advice, and travel tales about Italy Information may have changed since date of publication. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip. Subscribe Now And Save 78%! 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Cheap Travel Cheap travel

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Spain Travel

Holiday Travel in Spain , Maps, Villas Mijas,Villas Jerez, Malaga Villas, Nerja, Torrox, Hotel Zamora, Granada Villas. Welcome to our travel pages. A Travel site offering visitors to Spain a chance to explore aspects of Spain that tourists often miss. We specialise in Spanish rural tourism and travel in Spain with quality accommodation offered in hotels, holiday villas and rural property which are off the normal tourist routes, from a log cabin in the mountains north of Madrid to renting a private villa with vineyard in the countryside of Andalucia. J erez V illas Z amora H otel R onda H otel A lmeria V illas M urcia V illas M ijas V illas C atalonia H otel A licante V illas M alaga V illas G ranada V illas Use the menus to navigate through your areas of interest in Spain. Each page will show you maps of Spain to help you get your bearings. Segovia Hotel : Rural Tourism : Leon Hotels : Apartment Paris : Central & Madrid : Almeria Villas : Ronda Hotel Northern Spain : Cadiz Villas : Antequera Hotel : Avila Hotel : About Us : Vejer Villas : Seville Villas Mijas Villas : Contact : Other Travel Sites : Lerida Villas : Maps Spain : Madrid : Malaga Villas : Spain Villas Sl Property & Travel Spain All rights reserved. Email: info@property-travel-spain.com Central Spain General Madrid Avila Segovia Alicante Southern Spain General Granada Malaga Vejer Costa del Luz Jerez Seville Antequera Costa del Sol Murcia Almeria Ronda Northern Spain General León Lleida Zamora Catalonia Contact Us Contact Info Rural tourism About Us Property Property Sales Home Related Topics... Car Hire Spain Spain Tourism Learn Spanish Spanish food Spanish Wine Spanish History Spain Maps Spain Weather Spanish Dance Golf in Spain News in Spain Fiestas in Spain Advertisers

Travel Cruise Visits For

Belize tourism, Belize vacation, cheap holiday vacation tours. -- -- About Belize Location History Culture Geography Government FAQ Presenting an adventurer's paradise, Belize: Mayan temples tower above rainforest canopies while an incredibly colorful array of marine wildlife find protection in Belize's Great Barrier Reef. Join us in Belize! Things To Do Liveaboard ACTIVITIES -------- SCUBA/Snorkeling Birding Caving Wind Surfing Fishing Canoeing/Kayaking -------- INTERESTS --------- Honeymoon/Weddings Family Educational Trips Archeology Budget Travel Cruise Visits For the outdoor enthusiast, Belize presents unlimited opportunities. You might say that Belize is the outdoors. You will find diving, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, and exploring nature at its best. Plan Your Visit Getting Here Places To Stay Cruise Visits Tour Services Getting Around Travel Tips Online Tour Contact Us No more than two hours from 3 gateways in the United States, and just a short hop from Mexico, getting to Belize is painless. With the right planning and preparation your visits, tours and excursions around the country can be just as simple. Places To See MAINLAND ECOTOURISM -------- Belize City Belize Zoo Blue Hole National Park Cockscomb Basin WS Baboon Sanctuary Croooked Tree WS Five Blues NP Guanacaste NP Mountain Pine Ridge Rio Bravo -------- TREASURES OF THE SEA --------- Blue Hole Half Moon Caye Hol Chan MR Laughing Bird Caye Shark Ray Alley -------- MAYA MYSTIQUE -------- Altun Ha Caracol Cerros Lamanai Lubantuun Xunantunich -------- DESTINATIONS -------- Corozal Orange Walk Belize Ambergris Caye Caye Caulker Stann Creek Placencia Toledo Every destination in Belize has its share of archaeological and national parks, marine and nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries. Each of these protected areas is packed with opportunities for adventure. -- Home | Location & Maps | Getting Here | Activities | Interests Cruise Visits | Places To Stay | Tour Services | Getting Around | Online Tour FAQ's | Fun Stuff | Contact Us | Index -- Vote this site for "Best of Belize" -- © 1999- NATURALIGHT Productions and the Belize Tourism Board. -- -- -- --

London Vacation

How To Vacation in London Food, Coffee, and People Coffee lovers: relax. Tea may be the morning cocktail of choice for many Britons, but there are plenty of bean havens throughout the city. Also, most hotels offer both at breakfast, but if not, just ask. British hospitality is superb, and it's almost a guarantee that piping hot coffee will be served on request. Another popular misconception is about the food. Yes, some British recipes are simple, maybe even a little on the plain side, but that's not true for the entire gamut of dishes served up, especially in diverse London. As in many other large cities, you'll find a host of restaurants specializing in international cuisine. Lebanese, Thai, Ethiopian, Indonesian, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, and the official EuroVacations favorite, Indian, is available all over London, but don't miss an opportunity for fish-n-chips, Scotch eggs, Shepherd's Pie, Ploughman's Lunch, or crumpets with clotted cream. Londoners are generally friendly, talkative folks who will be happy to strike up a conversation about books, history, archeology, or a selection of other topics. In many pubs and restaurants, you may find yourself sharing a table with another patron or even a large group. Settle in for a long chat and get ready to make a few new friends. top of page Going With the Gang Face it: you won't be able to get away without a ride on a double-decker bus if you've got the little guys with you, so whether it makes you look like a tourist or not, you may as well resign yourself to it. But the thrill will pass, and you'll then find all that London has to offer for kids at heart, teenagers, little ones, and even the wee little ones. On weekends, the Victoria & Albert Museum has a fun cart, which has been keeping children busy and entertained for a few years now. The London Eye can be reserved for after they've been extra good, and the Tower of London to teach them a lesson (it's where the Little Princes were hacked by their infamous uncle, but the kids love the place all the same). One note: many pubs in London have special seating areas for groups traveling with children. Ask on entry if the pub allows/serves children and if there's a separate seating area. You Can Probably Skip It Famous Addresses: Elementary! You won't ever find 221B Baker Street. The Abbey National Building Society headquarters takes up the whole block, though you can seek out the Sherlock Holmes museum just down the street. And for those of you who are "looking for the England of English literature" a la Helene Hanff, well, 84 Charing Cross Road is now a Pizza Hut. And, finally, if, like Sabine, you go looking for Griffin at 41 Yeats Avenue, you'll be very disappointed. But maybe he went to find you... top of page Booking a vacation package to London with EuroVacations is easy. Our vacation packages to London offer a great selection of hand-picked London hotels, with free breakfast. Book car rentals, rail tickets and passes, and tours, so you can see more of London at a great value. Click here How to Vacation in London · First Things First · Where to Stay · Getting to Your Hotel · At Your Hotel · Around London · Food, Coffee, and People · Going With the Gang · Top Ten · If You Have Time · You Can Probably Skip It First Things First The land of kings and knights, Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes, moors and manor houses, Britain is one of those places that is all it's cracked up to be. Fantastic, refined London is the epicenter of all the magical elements of the realm. The unit of currency in the United Kingdom is the pound sterling (£). (Prices below are expressed in U.S. dollars for convenience; check the rate of exchange prior to arrival in Europe.) You shouldn't have any trouble communicating, but remember the hard and fast vocabulary differences (brolly, bobby, banger, etc.). top of page Where to Stay Most of London is at your fingertips via the city's beloved Underground. Nearly the whole of Europe is accessible via the major rail stations. Staying near a rail station is a good idea, especially if you are traveling by rail to more cities than London, and you'll have access to a tourist office, ATMs, and other services t'boot. London is made up of many neighborhoods and districts, each with their own character and flair. Check out: The City: The financial district and real "downtown" London South Kensington, Earls Court: One of the most desirable locations in the city Euston/Kings Cross : The literary area of London Knightsbridge: Home to Harrod's and more fantastic shopping Hampstead Heath/Regents Park: Quaint Georgian neighborhoods Paddington: Excellent tourist-class hotels and access to transportation Victoria: Home to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the London Eye, Parliament West End/Centre: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus top of page Getting to Your Hotel ... From London Heathrow Airport Getting downtown from the world's busiest airport is easier than you might think. Most flights from the United States arrive in Terminal 3; the rest in Terminal 4. The best route is the Heathrow Express non-stop rail service between the airport and Paddington Station. It's a 15-minute ride and leaves every 15 minutes from all terminals. Fares are about $16. From 6 a.m. to midnight, you may use the Underground--the Circle Line, which connects to the District Line to downtown London. This will set you back a little more than $6. At the tourist information center in the terminal, ask about bus service between Heathrow and the many bus stations downtown. Of course there are taxis--about $70 for a black cab each way, or roughly $40 for a mini-cab. ...From London Gatwick Airport From the South Terminal, take the convenient, speedy Gatwick Express directly to Victoria Station. This is the most popular way to get from the airport to downtown, takes about 30 minutes, and costs about $18. If you arrive at the North Terminal, take the free shuttle to the South Terminal to connect to Gatwick Express. If you don't have too much luggage and you can spare the time, save a few bucks by taking the regular British Rail service. The trip takes only a few minutes longer and costs a few pounds less. You may also try the Thameslink, regular rail service to Blackfriars, Farringdon, and Kingscross stations in central London. Check the BritRail office in the terminal for more information on both services. And the taxis... about $70 for a black cab each way, or roughly $40 for a mini-cab. ... From Waterloo, Liverpool, Victoria, Kings Cross, Paddington, or other rail stations Rail stations of London are all served by the London Underground. Pick up an Underground map at the information center or tourist center once you arrive. top of page At Your Hotel Free city maps and other information can usually be obtained in hotel lobbies or from the front desk. Check in, freshen up, and, with your bags unpacked, your room key in your pocket, and ready to lose a few pounds, take on London! top of page Around London You have a lot ahead of you. London is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, as well as a pretty well populated city. Sure, you will have a lot of company around, but you won't be bored, not for a second. We compiled a list of things that you absolutely cannot miss, a few more to do if you can squeeze them in, and a few places you shouldn't even look for. Here they are: top of page Top Ten: Tours: It's hard to say which will be the best, but there are fantastic half-day walking tours and, if you don't mind feeling like a tourist, double-decker bus tours of London. It's a great way to get oriented and plan your days ahead. Walking tours are about $7 per person; bus tours vary but start at about $14. MW tours offers a very nice several-hour jaunt through London. While jolly busmasters navigate the increasingly confusing and congested streets on your behalf, very knowledgable guides navigate through history, legend, royalty, and more. Our favorite tour is a little steep but well worth it: start off with a quick tour of the big sights, then head to a traditional pub for lunch (included), then it's off to the Tower of London and a visit to the Crown Jewels. The tour is about $55 and lasts roughly 4 very entertaining hours. British Museum: It's been said that the inspiration behind Britain's centuries-long colonization of lands all over the world was a quest to fill London's museums. It's hard not to consider this among the spoils from the farthest reaches of the globe in the museum's millions of artifacts and more than 2 miles of galleries. The museum is inspiring just for its size. It looks and feels like a good, old-fashioned museum, with enormous, thick walls, high ceilings, massive stone staircases that curve around from here to there, and lots of mummies. The British Museum is also home to the Rosetta Stone and the newly refurbished King's Library. Admission is free; there is a small charge for certain exhibits. The museum is open till 8:30 on Thursday and Friday evenings, the best times to go. Victoria and Albert Museum: Of all the treasures stored at the V&A, some of the most interesting are located in the Fakes and Forgeries gallery--a bona fide collection of counterfeits. Take time to explore the endless other galleries, and consider, as you spend a few hours roaming the halls, that for every artifact you see, the museum has another ten in storage someplace. That means the display is revolving, so this massive space is worth more than one visit. A small donation is requested for entrance. London Eye: The ultimate Ferris wheel is comparatively new to the city and is already quite popular. You may make reservations in advance for a pod "flight" and get a 360° view of the whole kit-n-caboodle. Book online in advance to save a few pounds, or buy a ticket on site (you may not be able to get a ticket for the exact day you wish, though). It costs about $16. Buckingham Palace: Unless you have Windsor someplace in your string of last names, forget hanging out in the royal residence in a smoking jacket with your elbow on the mantle. But informative tours are available at select times of the year. If you're just any old bloke, or if the tours are not available, check out the Changing of the Guard at 11 a.m. Pack breakfast and get there before 10 for a good view. Parliament and Big Ben: The House of Lords and the House of Commons, along with scattered other halls and galleries, make up the Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as Parliament. The lines are longest in the afternoon, as throngs gather to witness Question Time (you've probably caught this occasionally on C-SPAN). As for Big Ben (which is actually just the bell, not the whole tower), views and postcard-perfect pictures are available from the opposite side of the Thames. If you're walking along Birdcage Walk from Buckingham Palace, though, stop a few blocks short of Westminster Abbey and get a great shot of just the clock tower (not the rest of the building). From here, you can manage a nice, vertical shot with old lamposts and, if you time it correctly, cabs and double-deckers. Don't forget to listen for the chimes. Cabinet War Rooms: Churchill and his staff conducted operations from here during World War II. You'll be amazed at what was accomplished with what seems today like so few resources. Reserve an afternoon, at least, for this; if you happen to move through quickly, the Cenotaph, 10 Downing Street, and Westminster Cathedral (not Abbey) are nearby. Admission to the war rooms is about $7. Tower of London and the Tower Bridge: Built as a fortress and used as a royal residence, the Tower became best known in its role as the home of the damned. Sir Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn, two little princes, and even QE I were "residents" here. Come to see the royal armory and Crown jewels, among the countless other structures, then walk around to the suicide-proof Tower Bridge, with new exhibits in each tower house at either end. Admission is about $11 to the Tower of London and $7 to the bridge exhibits. Crowds don't show up until about 10:30, but the Tower opens at 9. Get there a little early and see it without the crowds. (See our secret tip below.) Westminster Abbey: Edward the Confessor rebuilt this 8th-century chapel, which has since become a repository of many of England's most famous citizens and a treasure trove of English history. Admission is free and photography is allowed on Wednesday evenings (check for exact times), otherwise admission is about $6 and shutter snapping is verboten. (See our secret tip below.) Trafalgar Square: Get there, then decide what to do... the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (anyone hear a choir?) are all off the square. Climbing up on Admiral Nelson's lions to get your picture taken is technically illegal but popular all the same. top of page If You Have Time: Harrods: Once again, if you don't have a roman numeral after your first name, you can forget buying a lot here, it's very expensive. But it's a great place to browse and get some nosh material to go; eating in the store is a no-no. If you're in London around Christmas time, stopping here to admire the holiday displays is a must. Down the road a piece is the famous Ritz Hotel of London. Just a quick walk through the lobby is impressive enough. Kensington Palace: The former "official" residence of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the palace is still open to the public. Former state apartments and the Court Dress Collection are included in a tour, which leaves four times an hour and costs about $6. Mayfair: There's a lot here: Marble Arch, Grosvenor Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Bond Street, the Shepherd's Market, and Berkeley Square. Westminster Abbey: Make sure you save time for Edward's Chapel, the site of the coronation of English monarchs. The coronation chair has been marred by graffiti artists over the past few decades. Although its defacing is unfortunate, take a peek at the chair and its 20th-century "artwork" so you can have a little chuckle when it's finally time for Charles to be crowned on it. Visitors to the Tower of London often miss the eerie Ceremony of the Keys, performed by the guards to lock up the tower at night. Tickets are free but may only be obtained by requesting them in advance by writing, on plain paper (no letterhead) to: The Ceremony of the Keys, Her Majesty's Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom. top of page Home . Hotel . Air + Hotel . Car . Rail . Packages . How To Vacation In . View Shopping Cart Affiliates . About Us . 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