White Cliffs of Dover, Kent, England, UK by Harvey Barrison

England’s southern coast is home to a number of important cities, fascinating towns and quaint villages, which is why it’s a good idea to set aside a few days to tour the area. For the best experience of all, you should hire a car in Kent and travel west all the way to Cornwall. Over the course of a week, you can take in some breathtaking scenery as well as some truly unforgettable buildings and landmarks.

Kent is known as the Garden of England, and is one of the most beautiful counties in the whole of the UK. The famous white cliffs of Dover are an iconic symbol of the country, and provide a welcoming vista for ferry passengers who come to Britain from continental Europe. Further along the coast, traditional seaside resorts such as Folkestone and Hastings (which is in Sussex) are lying in wait.

Folkestone, Dover, England, UK by Pierre Metivier

The beauty of Brighton

To the immediate south of London lies the city of Brighton & Hove. It’s an exciting, funky place with a thriving entertainment quarter. Once an exclusive haunt of the rich and famous, nowadays it offers something for everyone. Continuing west, the cathedral city of Chichester is a favourite with history lovers, as well as those people who like to enjoy a little retail therapy from time to time.

Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth are all relatively close together, yet each of them has its own unique character. The latter has been a popular family holiday resort for many decades, and continues to attract plenty of tourists to this day. Continuing through Dorset, the town of Weymouth is worth a little exploration, if only because it hosted the yachting competitions at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Southampton’s Town Walls, England, UK by Christophe.Finot

Devon and Cornwall complete the westerly journey, and in these counties you’ll find a wonderful array of picturesque fishing villages, many of which have changed little over the centuries. The rugged coastline is also home to many secluded coves that offer visitors a golden opportunity to enjoy some much-needed peace and tranquillity. Be sure to bring a camera with you, because the landscapes and seascapes really need to be immortalised on film.

David Showell lives in southern England and works for 121carhire.

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Prešov features Observatory and Planetarium where you can enjoy a variety of audio-visual programs, lectures, video projections, exhibitions, but also observing the evening sky with a telescope.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Prešov region was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Settlements have been here already at the time of the Roman Empire. Slavs migrated here in the 6th century. The first written document about the city dating back to 1247, and in 1347 Prešov was a free royal city. During this period, the major trade routes crossed here, so the city grew up. Its first decline came around the 16th to 17th centuries. Further development of the city came with the establishment of Czechoslovakia.

The historic city centre is a national cultural monument, where are situated all architectural landmarks of Prešov. The most significant historical landmark of Prešov is undoubtedly the Church of St. Nicholas, which is also the oldest and only surviving Gothic building in the city. During the 18th century, its interior was completed with several Baroque fragments.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Janos Korom Dr.

Neptune Fountain is the only surviving original urban tank. It has a statue of Neptune with a trident, surrounded by sea creatures, whose author is a stonemason and sculptor from Košice – Vincet Staviarský (1784 – 1847). The statue of Neptune was ordered in the early 19th century by Jewish businessman Mark Holländer as an expression of gratitude for the city council allowed him to settle and do business in Prešov.

If you spend more than just a day in Prešov, you can visit Sigord, which is the best known holiday resort and a good starting point for hikes in Prešov surroundings. Not far from Prešov, you can also visit extensive ruins of Šariš Castle, which is one of the largest Slovak castles.

Prešov is also a birthplace of many famous Slovak singers and bands, like Ivan Tásler (I.M.T. Smile), Katka Knechtová (Peha), Peter Nagy, Chiki Liki Tu-a, Komajota and others.

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The town of Billund is otherwise not very interesting, however it is an ideal starting point for exploring beautiful and historically important areas. From here you can get e.g. to Jelling, Ribe, Kolding or Esbjerg. Those who like flying can try the services of Billund Rundflyvning flying company and enjoy a sightseeing flight over Legoland, which costs from €30.

Further information about Aquapark Lalandia you can find on the official website here.

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Aquapark Zakopane offers lots of great water attractions. It is ideal for swimming as it offers a large 25 meters long swimming pool, with a depth between 130 and 150 cm and three swimming lanes. Another recreational pool has been created just for fun. It is equipped with water jets that provide a massage after which you can rest at the deckchairs around the pool.

But its major attraction is a large pool with geothermal water at a temperature of 30.5 °C. It is located on the terrace in front of the aquapark and from it you can enjoy views of the great snowy peaks of the High Tatras. Aquapark also have two water slides with a length of 167 and 106 meters. You can relax in one of the 6 types of whirlpools, where the temperature reaches 36 °C. For enjoying much more fun you can try “wild river”. Aquapark is suitable also for the youngest children and offers a smaller pool with a temperature of 33 °C.

If you get wet or tired at hiking throughout High Tatras, or after a cold day in winter skiing you surely enjoy several types of saunas (Finnish sauna – 96-100 °C, Bio sauna – 65 °C, salt sauna – 30-40 °C, or winter cabin – 10-15 °C). In addition, it has a steam bath and relaxation room.

There is also a modern bowling alley, which is open daily from 10.00 to 22.00. Aquapark Zakopane offers swimming courses and stays for children with defective posture. There are also several restaurants waiting for hungry visitors. Swimming pools at the water park is open from 9.00 to 22.00. Basic admission is 50,00 zł for the whole day.

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Kuršių Nerija National Park, Lithuania by fintlandia

Kuršių Nerija National Park has now become a popular tourist site and holiday resort, which is also one of the largest deposits of amber in the world.

Kuršių Nerija National Park contains of a range of pine forests and sand dunes, through which is sometimes referred to as the Baltic Sahara. The unique character of the landscape brought Curonian Spit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The larger part of the Curonian Spit in Lithuania is a part of Kuršių Nerija National Park covering an area of 265 km2 (98km2 are covered by land, and 167km2 by water). The park has been established in 1991 but the first steps to protect this area were undertaken already in 1960, when Curonian Spit became a Nature Reserve.

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