Old Town Square, Praha / Photo by admin

1 – The Alchymist Grand Hotel
Part of a row of Baroque houses, the state of the art Alchymist hotel is decorated in a neo Baroque style. Its suites are also enhanced by spas and restaurant options. Located in the centre of the city, the Alchymist is also an ideal starting point for exploring Prague.

2 – Romantic Hotel U Raka
Sampling the best of medieval and Gothic Prague, the 18th century Romantik Hotel Uk Raka features a winter garden and a courtyard. Located in one of the quieter areas of the central city, the Romantik Hotel Uk Raka is particularly ideal for honeymoon stays.

3 – The Golden Well Hotel
Influenced by Renaissance styles, the Golden Well Hotel has 19 suites, and is located within a short walk of the Old Town Square. The Golden Well Hotel is also distinguished by its restaurant selection.

4 – Old Town Square Hotel
Perhaps the best choice for those wanting to stay in Prague’s historic Old Town Square, this hotel has been recognised as a world heritage site. As well as its luxury suites, the Old Town Square Hotel also includes lounges, cafes, and an international range of wines.

5 – Hotel Yasmin
Distinguished by its bold graphic design, and located at Wenceslas Square, the Hotel Yasmin includes a world class restaurant, as well as the Yasmin garden, which is open from March to October every year. The hotel also includes free WiFi for guests, as well as a health club.

6 – Design Hotel Sax
A retro hotel located near to the Charles Bridges, the Design Hotel Sax is within easy reach of Prague’s leading attractions. The hotel’s 14th century roots are offset by high quality modern facilities.

7 – Savic Hotel
Recently renovated, the Savic Hotel has its own internal courtyard, and an al fresco terrace for outdoor dining.

8 – Ventana Hotel
A converted townhouse in the centre of Prague, the Ventana Hotel’s marble decoration and stone staircases are complemented by richly appointed rooms with built in wardrobes, and by skyloft views over the city.

9 – Hotel Neruda
Found near to Prague castle, the four star Hotel Neruda features high quality room decoration by Borek Sipek. Notable features include large rooms in wood and glass, as well as quotes from the hotel’s namesake Jan Neruda.

10 – Grand Hotel Bohemia
A key feature of Prague’s Old Town, the Grand Hotel Bohemia is ideally placed for exploring the city. The luxury hotel also includes ballroom events. The hotel is also distinguished by its Franz Josef restaurant, which features world class dining from chef Michal Chermak, and an adjoining Bohemia lounge.

Travelling from country to country and visiting Prague, Matt Mynors is a travel enthusiast and freelance copywriter currently writing for UK based company Room For Romance.

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The Winchester Cathedral is considered to be the worship place for Christians on the present cathedral for more than two millennia. According to the research on history of this church, the building was built on the same place already in AD 169, when Lucius, king of the Britons, was converted to Christianity. As per these evidences the Winchester Cathedral is measured to be far older cathedral than the Canterbury.

It is found that the church has been destroyed several times and have been rebuilt the same number of times. The most popular bishop of the Winchester cathedral was St. Swithin. He was considered to be named as the bishop of Winchester cathedral in the early 852 and was very popular for his services to the poor and helpless in the name of humanity. There is also not a lot of information about him to be known. The present-day building of Winchester cathedral was built in the year 1079 in the Baroque style.

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The main feature of the town is Acireale Cathedral. It dates from the 16th and 17th century, however it was rebuilt in the 18th century. The facade is from the 17th century, which is the work of Giambattista Basile and has a beautiful portal of marble and alabaster (17th century). The majestic interior has a dome and is richly decorated with frescoes (created in the 18th century).

The city’s heart is a Piazza del Duomo, where this cathedral is situated. There is also the Palazzo Comunale, which is building from the second half of the 17th century built in a typical Catalonian Baroque style. There is also a Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo from the 17th century. It boasts a beautiful architectural design with ornamental decoration.

You should visit also the public gardens and Villa Belvedere. Here you can enjoy really a beautiful panoramic view of Mount Etna and the sea. You can then take a pleasant walk through beautiful scenery and exciting surroundings, along the steep slopes of The natural reserve La Timpa and get to a picturesque fishing village – Santa Maria la Scala.

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Acireale is also known for a famous Carnival, which attracts people from around the world. It is considered the most beautiful carnival in Sicily. For 2012 it is planned from the 4th to 21st of February.

The city has two patrons – St. Venera (celebrated on the 26th of July) and St. Sebastian (celebrated on the 20th of January).

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The largest and most visited monument and landmark of the city is Nitra castle (Nitriansky hrad) built on a rocky hill over the Nitra river. It is a huge building and was the seat of many princes and bishops. Today, visitors can admire its newer form, because it has undergone frequent repairs, the last of which changed its look to a Renaissance-Baroque style. Nitra castle contains of the cathedral, the episcopal residence and a system of fortifications. The interior is full of paintings from the 18th century, there are also the tombs of bishops, marble altar and baptismal font. Nitra Castle is currently the seat of the bishop’s residence and the Archaeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The so-called Lower Town (Dolné mesto) is now a lively center of Nitra. From the Theatre of Andrej Bagar which is located at Svätopluk’s Square leads the pedestrian zone. You can find here also a Romanesque St. Stephen’s Church from the 12th century, the Baroque Piarist monastery and the church of St Ladislav from the 18th century. On the hill in the southern part of the city you can walk up to Nitra’s Calvary and enjoy a nice view of the Old city.

Botanical Garden in Nitra is currently a place of Slovak University of Agriculture and its competence is a research and cultural-educational activities. The garden was founded in 1982 as a facility of the Agricultural University in Nitra. The actual area of ​​the Botanical Garden has an irregular shape in the middle of which is an artificial lake and several walking paths.

It boasts over 6,400 kinds of tropical plants. There are over 2,000 botanical species and 3,000 orchids, which come from all tropical regions of the world.

Besides the major attractions and institutions in the city like Nitra’s Public Gallery, museum of Nitra, Slovak Agricultural Museum, and others, tourists can also visit many places in the neighbourhood. Nitra is also the starting point for the tours around Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area, where is the network of marked hiking trails.

Directly from Nitra you can take the first part of cognitive Zobor pavement with 8 stops with a length of almost 4 km. The trail leads along the ruins of Zobor castle, Svorad’s cave and spring, which proves the presence of St. Svorad in this area.

In almost all parts of Nitra and its surroundings you will find a wide range of accommodation.

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The basilica, which was built over the grave of St. James grew into Cathedral, which is now the most important monument in the city. The Cathedral was rebuilt into Baroque style in 18th century, which changed its original appearance. The cathedral has a magnificent Romanesque interior façade Portico de la Gloria, which was created by the Master Mateo in 1188. Inside you can see a beautiful Mondragon chapel from the 15th century, the main altar, crypt with the relics of St. James, or a museum of paintings, retables, reliquaries and sculptures.

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It is a perfect example of sacred Roman architecture. Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela became the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages, which total length is 1600 km. The journey starts in France and leads through the Alps to Santiago de Compostela. Only in Spain it goes through seven provinces, four autonomous regions and around 200 villages and towns.

A history of the pilgrimage dates back to medieval times and its symbol is the scallop shell, which can be found at every step. Believers go this long journey for centuries and is important for them to repentance and spiritual cleansing. Along the roads were built hostels, shelters, hospitals, churches and cathedrals, which were designed to serve the pilgrims. Then many cities around grew up that have prospered largely from the influx of pilgrims.

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Also now, there are always thousands of people each year, however not all of them for religious reasons. The pilgrimage has become a renowned tourist attraction, where you can enjoy the beautiful and the changing landscape, to know the local traditions, people and architecture. Suitable for visiting the city is 25 July when the celebrations of St. James are held here and it is also the National Day of Galicia. In 1993, also the St. James pilgrimage has been added to UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The historic city center is full of stone streets. Together with surrounding squares it is now a pedestrian zone and you will find most of the sights here. Since there is an important Spanish university, the city is full of students. Popular tourist place is the Zona Vieja (Old Quarter), which is full of bars, restaurants, clubs and discos.

The southern part consists of the square Praza de Galicia, where you’ll find baroque cathedral Catedral del Apóstol from 18th century. You can also visit the museum of pilgrimage Museo das Peregrinación situated near the cathedral. Art lovers should not miss a visit to Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea with the exhibitions of modern art.

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In Vilnius you can see the castle ruins, mosque, synagogue, and almost 40 churches. Old Town and the Cathedral Square form the heart of Vilnius. Three bronze statues on the shield of the cathedral are Saint Casimir on the south side, Saint Stanislaus on the north and Saint Helena in the centre. Chapel of Saint Casimir, located at the side of the ship was built in Baroque style. The tomb of Alexander Jagiello – Grand Duke of Lithuania, is located below the chapel.

It is very easy to get lost in Vilnius thanks to the dozens of narrow streets and a number of squares. Thus you can miss some of the most architecturally interesting buildings, such as the church in the shape of a pyramid. The old Jewish quarter, ghetto, the presidential palace, the university and the observatory are among other city’s sights.

The presidential palace was originally the residence of general governors, in 1812 the residence of Napoleon and after his expulsion it was a residence of Marshal Kutuzov. University areal consists of several buildings, including the church, which are interconnected by courtyards.

Magnificent example of Lithuanian Gothic architecture is St. Anne’s Church from the 16th century. Next to it there is a church of the Bernardine Monastery from the same period. In front of this complex there is a statue of Adam Mickiewicz (Polish-Lithuanian poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period).

You can pass through one of eight city gates which are remainings of the city walls, which dates from the 16th century. If you get off the Hill of the Three Crosses, which still commemorates three monks that were allegedly tortured to death here, you will obtain a beautiful view of the city. More to the west, lies the new town, where you can find City Hall. In the past, it housed the Gestapo, then KGB and now it houses the Museum of Genocide of Lithuanian nation.

Less than thirty kilometres north of the city there is the geographical middle of Europe, which was established by the French National Geographical Institute. This centre symbolizes the pyramid, which contains the names of all major European cities and their distance from the center of Europe.

Vilnius was European Capital of Culture in 2009, together with Linz (Austria).

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However the first written document of the Telč dates back to the 1315. In 1334 Karel IV. (at this time as Margrave of Moravia) paid the mortgage of this municipality, and a few years later (1339) he replaced it by the Castle of Bánov, that belonged to Jindřich of Hradec.

The family of the new owner then established a new Telč. Unfortunately, the Memorandum has not preserved, but the first written report of Telč Burgess comes from 1353. It is assumed that it was Menhart of Hradec, who in 1354 built a castle, church, water fortification and Gothic houses (originally wooden) around the perimeter of a large marketplace. Other buildings and lake were built progressively.

Telč is a fascinating blend of architectural styles, and on many houses you can see a gradual evolution from Gothic style through Renaissance to Baroque style, in some cases also the later styles. The best example are the Gothic houses on the square, some with well-preserved typical pointed arches. They have Renaissance facades with beautiful gables, decorated with frescoes and paintings on the walls, or a baroque and rococo sculptures. The square is also decorated with two fountains and the Marian column.

Until now, well-preserved are also the medieval walls and city gates, the castle and other monuments, such as the former Jesuit college from 1655 (now high school).

The town of Telč is listed on UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.

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Already in 740, Salzburg’s monks founded a settlement at this place called Cella Bisontio, which ensured them prosperity mainly in salt trading. Local people were moving the salt on mules through Hochtor to the south, where they changed it with the wine. Hochtor is a place lying now on the high Alpine road Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, which was completed in 1935 and begin at Bruck, about 4 km from Zell am See. In 1348 the village acquired the right of market town, but the real boom came up with the railway which was built here in 1875. This developed a tourism and mountaineering here.

Zell am See is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Salzburger Land (the Austrian state of Salzburg). It is situated at an altitude of 757 meters and has around 9700 permanent residents. The town is surrounded by massive mountain giants, reaching heights of about 3000 meters above sea level. This stunning surroundings not leave visitors rest and certainly not hiking lovers. Winding streets full of shops, restaurants and Zell am See hotels offer pleasant atmosphere. Also history lovers can admire many sights in Zell am See.

The oldest building is a tower Vogturm built probably at the end of 10th century. Tower is also sometimes called Kastnerturm, according to trader Johann Kastner, who bought the tower in 1866. In its interior there is now a small museum of local history Heimatmuseum. A major monument of Zell am See is also a parish church of St. Hippolyte from 11th century, which was rebuilt several times over the centuries and in 1770 to its current Baroque style. Inside the church there is a Gothic altar and the frescoes from the 13th and 14th century.

City Hall can be found in the Rosenberg Castle, built in the late 16th century. It has the four corner towers and a circular central tower. The town is located not far from the another castle Prielau from the 15th century, which currently operates as a luxury hotel.

Nearby mountain Schmittenhohe (1965 meters high above sea level) is also a popular tourist site. You can climb up on your foot, a hike will take about 3 hours, or take a lift and then enjoy the view of the snowy peaks of the Hohe Tauern. They are around 3000 meters high – e.g. Grossglockner and Großvenediger. Mountain Schmittenhohe is ideal starting point for hiking and in the winter it is a great place for skiing.

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Most of the buildings in Lednice-Valtice Area were designed by the famous architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in the Baroque style. These intermingled with the existing castles of Lednice and Valtice which are in the Classical and Neo-Gothic styles. The result is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe. Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach also designed many of the buildings in Salzburg, Austria, which is another UNESCO World Heritage city.

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

The Lednice-Valtice Area is the home of a romantic château, a picturesque village and in particular a jewel of landscape architecture of unprecedented proportions. The notional milestone at the beginning of the long period of development of this whole area is the end of the 14th century, when the Liechtenstein family obtained a share of the land.

Best option for visiting this landscape is using the bicycle.

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