Rome is my favourite European city. I love walking around and seeing all the layers of its long history. Although most visitors concentrate on Rome’s Ancient, Renaissance and Baroque splendours, medieval Rome is also fascinating to explore. One of my favourite corners of Rome starts at the tiny, cobblestoned street of Via San Paolo della [...]
Where in the world can you travel from one continent to another for less than a simple London bus fare? Exactly, only in Istanbul. For a very enjoyable day trip take the ferry from either Eminönü or Karakoy and embark on a 40 minute ‘cruise’ to Kadiköy. Arriving at the ferry terminal you feel the [...]
Looking for a little outdoor activity at your next European destination? Look no further than the Swedish winter then. Sweden seems to take pride in lengthy outdoor activities in the midst of the cold and dark. There is Vasaloppet, a cross country ski race covering 90 kilometers and said to follow the route of King [...]
In the Europe a la Carte travel podcast of 5 January 2011, I talk about the following Blog posts: Edinburgh Travel Tweet Up on 23 January – Come along and join us if you love travel and social media. Ten of Best Hotels in Reykjavik for All Budgets – With hotels starting at £43 a [...]
There was a Travel Tweet Up in Edinburgh on the 23 January 2011 at the Hub on the Royal Mile. @travelrants & @2edinburgh at #EdinTravelTweetUp Facebook Edinburgh Travel Tweet Up event on Facebook. @BudgetTraveller & @UrbanDigger at #EdinTravelTweetUp Twtvite
I’ve wanted to have a holiday in Malta for ages. As soon as Ryanair started flying there from Edinburgh last year, I was on the lookout for cheap flights. In mid December 2010 I saw flights to Malta in May 2011 for £65 return per person (hand luggage only and payment by Mastercard prepaid debit [...]
Iceland is transforming from something of a mythical “far away” country to a place that many tourists are heading towards – recognising that it’s home to incredible landscapes, waterfalls such as Gullfoss and an interesting culture. The country still has a small population and most of them – around 200,000 people – live in or [...]
One of the true hidden gems in Europe is the Slovenian town of Bled. Located on a beautiful, pristine lake with an island church, it’s only an hour’s drive from Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana. With its close proximity to ski runs and the Alps, it’s a perfect place to make it your base for a [...]
The Europe a la Carte Podcast of 2 January 2011 covers the following Blog posts: Do You Have Any Tips for Things to Do in Gran Canaria? – We’re off to the Canaries in February 2011, so I’m looking for ideas of things to do there. Best New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Europe? – Andy’s [...]
Here are my tips for things to do in Gran Canaria, based on our one week trip to the island in February 2011. We stayed in three different hotels in three different resorts, courtesy of sunshine.co.uk, the 3 star IFA Beach Hotel in San Agustin, the 4 star IFA Dunamar in Playa del Ingles and [...]
