Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Tomas Maltby

Brighton Pier

World-famous for a reason the pier is a Brighton institution and no trip would be complete without at least a quick walk along it.

The remains of the old West Pier can be seen from the promenade of the surviving pier by Grand Junction. The skeleton of metal is still incredibly beautiful, despite years of storm damage and remains a great reminder of its former glory.

The modern pier offers everything you’d expect from arcades to restaurants, including the best fish and chips within hundreds of miles.

The Lanes

If you’re a vintage shopper than The Lanes could well be your paradise. A collection of narrow streets, crammed with various boutiques, it is a warren of fine designer clothes, retro phones, brand-name shaded and cuddly toys.

The hunt for a bargain is on, made all the more enjoyable by the lack of charity street-collectors and the presence of entertaining street performers.

The Brighton Toy and Model Museum

We have yet to discover a toy museum that didn’t instantly send us to a happier time, when our only concern was when we’d have to stop playing to eat and sleep.

Located in the magical arches of a railway station, this museum is right in the city centre and offers a collection of over 10,000 toys. You can even play with a few, while toy trains take long laps around the building.

Brighton Festival

The festival takes place for three weeks every May and the city becomes a hive of excitement throughout that time, so it’s well worth planning your trip to coincide.

The programme changes every year, but you can expect around 700 shows of theatre, musical and art.

The Brighton i-360

Although not open until next year, we thought it was worth mentioning this eye-catching design that will soon dominate the Brighton skyline. The sleek-looking observation tower will stand a full 183 metres high and be able to carry 100 visitors to its top, at one time.

It’s no surprise that it’s being designed by those clever people behind the London Eye, although you can expect a more beautiful view and cheaper prices.

Written by Matt for The Claremont Hotel, a luxurious boutique, family run hotel right in the heart of Brighton.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Sebastian Fuss

Once planning your trip to Harz National Park, beware of the cooler and rainy mountains – although this is not a high mountain range, but due to its geographical location is under constant onslaught of moist ocean air from the North Sea. Local climate is therefore similar to high mountains, reaching the altitude of about 2,000 metres above sea level. Be also prepared for a huge number of tourists, Harz National Park is one of the most visited places in Germany.

Among the most beautiful places to visit are Rübeland cave, the highest peak of national park – Brocken (1,141 m) which is also the highest peak of Northern Germany, Hohneklippen crags, Eckerstausee lake, Falkenstein Castle, Harzgerode Castle, hill top resort of Sankt Andreasberg, or saltwater spa and climatic health resort of Bad Harzburg.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Mike Jentsch

The management of national park: Nationalparkverwaltung Harz, Lindenallee 35, D 38855 Wernigerode, Deutschland
Official Website: nationalpark-harz.de

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Brett Jordan

Located at the south of Lefkas Island, Vassiliki is considered as one of the best and most popular windsurfing areas in Europe. Windsurfers love it here because the winds area is clean, the water is flat, the beach is gently shelving and has a sandy bottom, which are all ideal components of a good windsurfing beach. Usually, the beginners windsurf in the morning when the breeze is gentle, and the intermediate to expert windsurfers take to the water in the afternoon when the thermal winds kick in.

It doesn’t matter if no one in the family knows how to surf. Having your vacation and family activity holidays in Greece, especially in this part of the country ensures that after your vacation, all of you will at least know how to windsurf. Lessons are available for both children and adults. Aside from windsurfing lessons, sailing lessons are also being offered.

For children who are too young to windsurf or sail, there are other equally exciting activities on offer at the children’s clubs. Playing on the beach, biking, and court games are all for the taking. Adults who are not so much into water sports will surely enjoy mountain biking amongst the mountains and hills of Lefkas Island. With all these family activity holidays in Greece, each day of your stay is an adventure.

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Having said that a relatively new kid on the block has already firmly established itself as one of London’s most recognisable landmarks among its elder neighbours and is also now a top tourist attraction. I am, of course, talking about the London Eye.

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London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. When it was built in 1999 to mark the millennium it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, though it now has to be content with being the tallest wheel in Europe after the Star of Nanchang (2006) and Singapore Flyer (2008) were subsequently built.

London Eye is now the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, with more than 3.5million visitors per year. It contains 32 air conditioned capsules with one complete revolution taking about 30 minutes. It offers visitors an awe inspiring view of the city of London, which can help you get your bearing if you are planning on an extended stay in the City.

London Eye also plays a central role to the City’s New Year celebrations, with hundreds of fireworks flying off the structure on the stroke of midnight. It is also decorated to mark special occasions such as the recent Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton and will also carry the Olympic emblem throughout next summer’s tournament, hosted of course by London.

So if you are planning your trip to England’s capital, as well as looking at the finest London Hotels and restaurants, make sure you have booked you place on a top tourist attraction, the London Eye.

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The combination of geographical location, natural scenery and historical landmarks makes Veliko Tărnovo to be historically and architecturally one of the most important towns in Europe.

The first thing a visitor of Veliko Tărnovo will notice is the dominating feature of the city – a high rocky hill Carevec, surrounded by a massive medieval walls. The area is connected to the outside only by a narrow bridge and hide the ruins of Czar’s palaces and churches.

Steep slopes below the walls are several hundred meters deep. All the impressive scenery is completed with thousands of small houses from the 18th and 19th century, which, from the distance, look like they were built one above the other.

With a beautiful view of the city would be satisfied also the tourists who have no idea how many historical events took place in the context of European history.

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Chaillot Palace complex with its gardens and the Champs de Mars are among the most original architectural works of the early 20th century.

Palais de Chaillot is a monumental building that replaced the old Trocadero Palace. It consists of two wings of a length of 80 m, which are directed towards the Seine river from where you can enjoy beautiful view of the Champs de Mars. The complex was constructed for the occasion of the World Exhibition in 1937. It was designed in classicizing “moderne” style by architects Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu and Léon Azema. Today it houses museums, theater and other cultural institutions.

Palais de Chaillot as seen from Eiffel Tower, Paris, France by Yoshi

There are two museums in Palais de Chaillot – left part:

• Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Man) contains a rich anthropological collection to familiarize with all the human races and their way of life. In the paleontological department you can see the skeletal findings, Venus of Lespugue carved from mammoth tusk (late Stone Age 15 000-10 000 years BC) and other neolithic monuments. The museum is open daily except Tuesdays and public holidays from 9.45 to 17.15. Admission is €7.
• Musée de la Marine (Maritime Museum, open daily except Tuesdays from 10.00 to 18.00) shows the history of seafaring, technology and developments in shipping. The exhibition includes the models of famous ships, the need for sailors, etc. Admission is €10.

On the right side of the Palais de Chaillot there are:

• Musée des Monuments Français (Museum of French monuments, open daily except Tuesdays and public holidays from 9.45 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 17.15). It is dedicated to superior French monumental art in the form of castings and the life-size reproductions. Exhibits are divided according to regions, schools and eras, making it possible to monitor the development of styles and themes.
• Musée du Cinéma Henri Langlois (Museum of Cinema, guided tours daily except Tuesdays at 10.00, 11.00, 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00, visit lasts 1.5 hours) – the history of world cinema is demonstrated in almost 60 halls. There are e.g. Reynaud’s optical theater built in 1888, Edison’s Kinetoscope (1894), the device of Lumiere brothers, movie posters, a giant photo, the famous decorations, costumes, etc. Admission is €7-8.
• A large theater Théâtre National de Chaillot with the hall for up to 1,200 visitors.

Place du Trocadéro et du 11-Novembre lies west of the Chaillot Palace and is dominated by a statue of Marshal Foch.

Jardins du Trocadéro (Chaillot Palace Gardens) are pleasant especially during hot summer days, it refreshes the large pool flanked by bronze statues. An interesting spectacle brings many fountains, and especially at night when they are imaginatively lit.

Champ-de-Mars – a large park covers area between the Seine and the military school. Originally a military training ground for high military school was opened to the public in 1780.

Champ de Mars as seen from Eiffel Tower, Paris, France by Olivier Bruchez

Cimetière de Passy from 1850 – Here are the tombs of famous French people (Debussy, Tristan Bernard, Fernandel, etc.).

École Militaire – The military school was founded in 1773 on the initiative of Madame de Pompadour, and was intended for boys from poor families, who received military training there. The building is closed to the public.

Palais de l’UNESCO – The modern building of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Hotel des Invalides – It forms one of the most monumental complexes in Paris

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Photo by Claire (Europe Explored)

Located just beside the Holiday Village Tatralandia, countless people make their way to the aquapark every single year in order to relax in the pristine hot mineral waters which abound within the park. In order to ensure that your trip is enjoyable, there are also a number of resorts, hotels and boarding houses that can be found in or around the village. However, most people who choose to visit the aqua park tend to stay in the nearby town of Liptovský Mikuláš which offers even more amenities and accommodations.

Not only are there a number of pools to swim in, there are also toboggans and other nearby attractions that will keep you busy for days. It is also interesting to note that there are several pools that can be found within the Aquapark Tatralandia that also contained seawater. There are also lots of playgrounds for kids and adults as well as Relax centre with Sauna World.

Photo by Claire (Europe Explored)

The area in which the Aquapark Tatralandia is located, is known as one of the most mountainous regions in all of Slovakia. As such, while you are relaxing in the warm waters of the park, you can overlook the picturesque landscapes of the surrounding foothills and peaks. But don’t worry if you get tired of swimming, because there are plenty water slides, deck chairs as well as cafés that can be found in and around the area. For your safety, each one of the pools is monitored by a certified lifeguard.

So whether you are a resident of Slovakia, or just visiting the country for the summer, choosing to stop by and check out the Aquapark Tatralandia will be a very rewarding experience for any traveller with or without kids of any age.

The basic whole-day admission is €19. You can find more information on the official site of Aquapark Tatralandia.

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Orava Castle, Slovakia by Wojsyl

The Castle itself was constructed at the site were an old wooden fort had once stood during the Mongol invasion. The old Fort unfortunately did not survive the invasion, and soon after was replaced with the Orava Castle, which stands today. And while the Castle has undergone a number of reconstructions throughout the centuries, the most extensive reconstruction occurred back in 1611.

Unfortunately, as the centuries went on the Castle eventually fell into disrepair until the early 1800s when it was burnt to the ground completely. However, thanks to the extensive efforts of the government as well as locals, another major reconstruction effort began shortly after the end of World War II.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects about the Orava Castle is that of the entrance to the Castle. There are three levels of the Castle, which includes lower, central as well as upper parts. As a result, anyone who enters the Castle will have to walk through a tunnel under which the Castle’s dungeon can clearly be seen beneath. The highest part is on a steep rocky limestone cliff 112 m above the Orava river. Middle part consists of medieval buildings – Corvinus Palace and the Palace of Ján from Dubová village. The lower castle is particularly Thurzo Palace and the castle church where some members of Thurzo family are buried, the older tower and terrace. On this terrace there was a summer theatre for several years.

Today the Castle itself serves as a Museum to not just the Castle, but also to the archaeology of the region, the history of the settlements along the Orava River as well as the nation. There are countless exhibits that can be found throughout the Castle including a regular theatre and street performers. One of the most interesting aspects about visiting the Orava Castle is that it is open in the night-time to allow visitors to have a truly enchanted experience.

The basic admission is €5 – €6 and often include also the fencing duel or several music concerts from the previous periods. If you are planning your trip to Slovakia, do not forget to visit Orava castle, you will be surprised how nice it is.

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