Meteora, Greece / Konstantinos Koukopoulos

But forget the cityscapes of Bruges and Paris, as beautiful as they are, because the originality just isn’t there. These are the tours that everyone does, and they don’t require that much effort either.  Instead, to truly discover those inspiring landscapes that had your jaw dropping at the credits, check out these fascinating European locations that can form the backdrop to your next European holiday.

Meteora, Greece

Perched precariously on top of the rocky Meteroa mountains in Thessaly, Greece, are a collection of monasteries which are incredibly difficult to reach. The original 9th Century monks had formed an order by climbing these formidable rock towers and occupying the hollows and tunnels which ran across their surfaces, and it wasn’t for another three thousand years or so before solid structures began to appear.

Named Meteroa, meaning ‘In the Heavens Above’, only a handful of the original 24 are still inhabited by monks, and although visitors are welcome, you really do need to put in the effort to get to them. Stone steps and walkways lead intrepid visitors up the edge of uncertain cliffs to get to the buildings atop them.  Fans of the James Bond movies will recognise one of the monasteries, Holy Trinity (which is the least accessible of them all), from the movie For Your Eyes. Whether you manage the climb all the way to the top or not the view from this area is inspiring.

Marktschellenberg, Germany

Located just south of Salzburg is an open meadow that should be instantly recognisable to fans of the Von Trapp family.  It is of course the meadow through which Julie Andrews ran and sang with such wanton abandon in The Sound of Music nearly 50 years ago.  The meadow has reportedly changed little in that time, although producers do admit to having added one or two background trees to their shots during production for the effect.  This iconic location is easy to get to and, along with other locations from the film in the neighbouring towns, forms a tour that has quickly become one of the most popular walking holidays in Europe.

Mamores, Scotland, UK / Graham Lewis

Mamores, Scotland

The Mamores isn’t actually a place, but rather a mountain range in the Scottish Highlands.  Lying close to the town of Fort William, the Mamores incorporates ten of Scotland’s highest mountains that form a continuous and circuitous route from one to the next.  This is the type of walking that requires specialist gear, so don’t think about hopping up the nearest hill in your trainers when you’re on a day trip to the area.

The height of these mountains makes the weather unpredictable and confusing so experience is essential.  If you do fit into this category and you find yourself standing at the top of Stob Ban or Am Bodach, you’ll be following in the footsteps of Mel Gibson’s epic trek as William Wallace in Braveheart.  And while you might not be lucky enough to meet a wild man in a kilt on your holiday, the spectacular view of the surrounding mountaintops should more than make up for it.

Byline: Fiona Galloway is a travel writer who has written about walking holidays in Europe.

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Arriving into Heathrow

This is the busiest airport in the UK and to those who are coming from small towns and cities, it can be overwhelming.  Once you step off the plane, you will need to walk about 15 – 20 minutes until you reach immigration. Once through you go downstairs to collect your bags.  There are places where you can buy tickets to get into London. These are valid ticket sales people and if you want to get the Heathrow express train, buy a ticket.  However, you can get the Piccadilly line from Heathrow into town.  A single will probably set you back around £6.00 but it is cheaper than taking the Heathrow express, plus the tube gets you right into the centre of London.

Arriving into Gatwick

Gatwick is situated just outside the M25, but is accessible to London via the Gatwick express train service or regular train service.  The Gatwick trains both run into London Victoria and most via Croydon. The Gatwick express stops at fewer stations and is also more expensive.

You can also take a cab from either Gatwick or Heathrow into London but then you will need to fight your way through the traffic.

Tackling the Tube

If you are staying for London for more than a weekend, it will be worth investing in an Oyster card.  When they were first introduced, the Oyster card itself was free, but now it costs £5 and you will need to add credit or “top up” as they call it in London.  A single journey with an Oyster card within zone 1 is £1.90, without Oyster it is £4.00 so you can see the advantages.  The tube system is one of the oldest in the world and with that comes small tunnels and overcrowding.  Try and avoid the tourist hotspots such as Piccadilly, Oxford Circus and Camden at peak times.

Once you have arrived at your destination, whether that is a hostel, hotel or one of the many London apartments, you are all set to start exploring this wonderful city. If you have arrived from far, you may want to put on your walking shoes and start seeing the city on foot.  Your accommodation would have left out some of the maps of London, so plan where you want to go and don’t get lost.

Robin is a travel blogger who writes about destinations and tourist attractions throughout Europe.  Robin also recommends short term accommodation, such as renting Rome apartments, staying in hotels in Paris and London.

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Author: dysiu

Mylna Cave is situated at an altitude of 1098 metres above sea level. Its total length is 1630 metres, but only 300 metres is open to the public. The temperature in the cave in summer is around 5 °C and in winter drop below freezing. The cave consists of several tunnels that lead into different cavities. Some corridors had to be artificially extended, so the visitors could pass through. There is a small stream flowing through the cavity, which is a home to a unique troglobite – a blind shellfish – Niphargus tatrensis.

It is possible to get to the cave by following the marked hiking trail that leads through the valley up to the cave entrance. If you plan to visit the cave, you must have a reliable flash light. The cave is not lighted, and it happened already several times that the visitors get lost in the dark. Prepare for the narrow passages (sometimes you even have to crawl), slippery rocks and mud in some areas. It is definitely not recommended to enter the cave with large backpacks. You should really wear good shoes and warm clothes. The tour is without guide and takes you about 30 minutes. The arrangement of the corridors is quite complicated, so they are carefully marked. You certainly should not abandon the route. Once you decide to visit a cave, you should also not enter alone or in such case at least let someone know that you intend to visit the cave.

Mylna Cave is accessible throughout the year.

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