For those with a passion for architecture, there is no better day trip from Amsterdam than a trip to Rotterdam. After the city was flattened during World War II, they have worked to rebuild it into a modern mastery of architecture with a wide variety of building structures. Rotterdam houses Europe’s largest port. It is known for its large number of summer festivals and events, including cultural festivals and impressive sporting events such as the Rotterdam Open Judo Championship and the Dutch Open Badminton Championships.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands by Dietmut Teijgeman-Hansen

2. The Hague

Head out to The Hague for history, museums, and judicial courts. Although The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands, it has the seat for the Dutch government and parliament and is Queen Beatrix’s residence. There are a variety of palaces, museums, and narrow streets to explore. The Hague does not have Amsterdam’s excitement but instead offers expansive coastline and green space as well as quaint shopping.

3. Haarlem

For a smaller, more quaint version of Amsterdam, make your way to Haarlem for the day.. It is known for having one of the most impressive cathedrals in the Netherlands. Haarlem offers culture, historical architecture, and the internationally famous Dutch bulb fields, giving it the nickname the City of Flowers. While you are there, take a small detour to Zandvoort, which has the best beaches and coastal dunes that the Netherlands has to offer.

4. Utrecht

This university town with a charming medieval city center is another great place to visit.  Utrecht is famous for its numerous outdoor cafes and restaurants and one of a kind double-tiered canals. Explore museums, boutique shops, modern architecture, and museums. There are eleven museums in Utrecht that offer a wide range of collections. If you are visiting on a Sunday, take part in their Cultural Sundays with different events and festivals every month. The city is small enough that you can take in everything on foot.

Utrecht, The Netherlands by CeBepuH

5. Bruges, Belgium

Head out of the Netherlands for a day to the neighboring Bruges, Belgium for history, lace factories, churches, Begijnhof, and exquisite shopping. Take a tour and sample the beer at the De Halve Maan brewery, which is known for its traditional Brugse Zot. Dating back to 1546, it is made from hops, malt, and yeast. Their guided tour takes you through the history of the brewery and their production process. Bruges a wide variety of museums that include collections classic fine arts, Flemish primitives, archaeological excavations, furniture, silverware, folklore, contemporary art, and more. There is something here for everyone. Finally, while you’re in Bruges, you can’t forget to pick up some famous Belgian chocolate.

When visiting The Netherlands, why not check out the range of short term apartment rentals available in the main cities. There are a number of Worldwide Accom apartments in Amsterdam for rent to suit any budget.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Kevin Poh

Italy Summer Festivals

One thing Italians enjoy is being Al Fresco. Throughout the summer Italian towns and cities make the most of the warmer days and evenings by holding a range of outdoor concerts and music and art festivals. The venues for the festivals are exciting and innovative and range from ruins to public spaces. The type of music on offer varies from classical composers and opera shows to new live music.

Festival dei Due Mondi

Translated as “The Festival of Two Worlds”, this performing arts festival takes place in Spoleta and showcases a broad spectrum of artistic disciplines, from ballet, opera, films and art. The festival has been running for over 60 years, and celebrates the amalgamation of European and American art. Festival dei Due Mondi usually takes place in June and July each year.

Soundlabs Festival

Usually in August, Soundlabs is a more contemporary festival that celebrates the international independent music scene in the rural area of central Italy. Soundlabs usually hosts popular acts from the UK, US and Italy and is popular with European tourists.

Verona Opera

The Verona Opera series is a true taste of authentic opera in Italy’s most elegant open air arena – the Roman amphitheatre of Verona. Shakespeare fans will be pleased to visit this popular town to be steeped in history and rich Italian poetry in motion.

Summer Accommodation in Italy

Unless roughing it and making most of the camp sites at some of the more alternative music festivals appeals, there is a good choice of accommodation in Italy to suit all budgets. The most popular cities to stay in are Rome, Florence and Venice, and all of these areas have large (and expensive) hotel chains such as Hilton and Grand that can provide luxury and convenient accommodations.

For those wanting to break away from the confines and expense of a hotel room, clever travellers opt for schemes like LoveHomeSwap.com that offer home exchange Italy services allowing owners of holiday apartments and second homes to swap locations for their holidays in whichever cities across Europe and elsewhere in the world they choose to visit and can find a suitable swap in.

Summer Sight Seeing

A trip to Italy can be finished off with a trip to the leaning tower of Pisa to see it for real. The Tower is open until 11pm in the summer, and in the same trip tourists can also visit the Cathedral, Cathedral museum and Baptistery.

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Domaša lake / P.matel

Optimal climate and water temperature of around 23 °C provide pleasant swimming in clean water from June through mid September. Domaša is ideal for lovers of water sports and recreation. Its shores are lined with nice hills and ridges, which offer a unique scenery and a nice view of the water surface.

Its right western side is forested, which creates a paradise for mushroom pickers, hunters and lovers of long walks.

Water surface and its shores are characterized by variety of waterfowl. You can see the black stork, bitterns, plovers, various species of ducks, swans, herons, raptors from the kite, white-tailed eagle and others.

Fishermen will find a beautiful, quiet nooks, with the possibility of hunting different types of fish – carp, perch, pike, ache, catfish, bream, eel, chub. Rich fishing is also provided by a buffer tank adjacent to small towns of Malá Domaša and Slovenská Kajňa.

If you will be looking for an accommodation, there are several hotels, pensions, cottage resorts or campings around the lake. The best time to visit Domaša is, of course, the summer, when several summer festivals take place here. Some of the best known and most popular include Miss Domaša or a music festival, Domaša Fest.

View Domaša lake – where to get cold and wet in eastern Slovakia during the hot summer days in a larger map

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