12 Spectacularly Scenic Drives

27 August 2010

As Jim Morrison once famously sang, “keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel”. Wise words indeed, especially for those who have the good fortune to experience one of these spectacularly scenic drives.

Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia, Canada

Proud Canadians from St. John’s to Victoria regard the Cabot Trail as a venerable rite of passage. The monument highway on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia is a picturesque glimpse into the culturally vibrant maritime province. Easily navigable over the course of a day, most stick to a leisurely pace in order to explore Cape Breton Highlands National Park and adorable coastal hamlets en route.

Nova Scotia

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Milford Road (State Highway 94), New Zealand

Milford Sound, together with Aoraki/Mount Cook, forms the most venerable part of New Zealand’s remarkable Te W?hipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best introduction to the unforgettable South Island and Fiordland enclave is a cruise down Milford Road.

milford sound

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Adriatic Highway, Croatia

The Adriatic Highway slices a gorgeous path through coastal Croatia and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. The scenic section of European route E65 hits all the sweet spots: Split, Dubrovnik, Tivat, Budva, Petrovac and the Bay of Kotor.

adriatic highway

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Karakoram Highway, China and Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway snakes through the Khunjerab Pass, north of the Himalayas, at a record high altitude. No other road on the planet compares and as a result, countless visitors make the formidable drive between Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

karakoram highway

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The Highlands of Scotland

Take the A82 from Glasgow and connect with the A83 and suddenly, the Highlands of Scotland unfurl before you. The rugged region offers untold bucolic vistas and the A83 is the road to ferry you there. Enjoy points of interest like Loch Fyne, the Arrochar Alps, the village of Tarbert and the Firth of Clyde.

highlands of Scotland

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Pacific Coast Highway, California, United States of America

From the Florida Keys to Alaska, Maine to Hawaii, road trips and America go hand in hand. The Pacific Coast Highway is without question however, the poster child for road trip goodness. You can travel from San Francisco to hotels in Los Angeles on Interstate 5 of course but if time is on your side, why bother? California State Route 1, otherwise known as the Pacific Coast Highway, is the way to go.

Pacific Coast Highway

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Great Ocean Road, Australia

From one brilliant coastline to another, Great Ocean Road is a mandatory experience for visitors to Victoria, Australia. Though not as long as others on our list (the drive between Torquay and Warrnambool is 243 km), the opportunity to commune with temperate rainforests, Loch Ard Gorge, the Grotto, the Twelve Apostles and beautiful coastal towns is inimitable.

Great Ocean Road

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Cornwall, England

Talk to avid English motorists about the country’s best roads and inevitably, the Atlantic Highway comes up. The pretty stretch of the A39 in Cornwall and North Devon is one thrill ride after another, with achingly quaint villages and postcard landscapes to enjoy along the way.

cornwall england

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National Route 40, Argentina

At more than 5,000 km, Argentina’s National Route 40 is a leviathan road trip expedition. The highway between the Strait of Magellan and the border of Bolivia spans vast national parks, rivers, Andes passes and attains a prolific zenith of 5,000 m above sea level at Abray del Acay, Salta Province.

National Route 40, Argentina

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Route 11, Chile

With National Route 40 to whet your road trip appetite, why not tackle Chile’s pinnacle of highway scenery on Route 11? A jaunt to the corner store in comparison to our previous entry, the <i>ruta</i> is no less spectacular and zips past ancient geoglyphs and Lauca National Park vistas.

Route 11, Chile

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High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The High Atlas Mountains provide one of the most dramatic road trip backdrops in Africa. From dynamic Marrakech, visitors wander through a variety of otherworldly landscapes, past Berber villages and down to the sands of the Sahara. For a genuine taste of Morocco, no other road trip experience comes close.

High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

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Strada Statale 163, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Italy has a handful of iconic road trips in store, from Sardinia to Lake Maggiore, the Dolomites to Liguria. The Amalfi Coast however, is a special, indelible classic. You do not have to scramble to conjure romance on a drive down the UNESCO World Heritage Costiera Amalfitana. The magic is here in spades, from Positano to Ravello. Best of all, the drive from hotels in Rome to Sorrento is a mere three hours.

Strada Statale 163

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French Skiing Holidays

20 August 2010

French Skiing Holidays

Few people would dispute that France is the most popular country to visit for skiing holidays in Europe, particularly from the UK. Of course, snow loving Brits in particular are partial to France due to the relative ease of getting there, but France also has a long skiing pedigree that stretches far back into the 19th Century. They may not have invented skiing in France (Norway takes that particular trophy), but they certainly are one of the best at skiing holidays.

Most of the skiing in France takes place in the Alps, where over 400 ski resorts are to be found. Although that may give the impression of beauteous mountains being tainted by the inevitable march of human civilization and the accompany power of the skiing holidays industry, the resorts only actually cover around 6% of the mountainsides, leaving the Alps relatively untouched and still every bit as beautiful as they were pre-development.

Many of these resorts link together, providing enormous terrain for skiing, offering skiers the opportunity to explore endless pisted runs and off-piste areas, ensuring there is never a shortage of fresh snow for the ski holiday goer.

Alongside Switzerland, France boasts some of the most prestigious ski resorts in the world, including its oldest – Chamonix, which was the proud host of the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924. Other resorts of note are Alped’Huez (particularly famous for its excellent ski school), Les DeuxAlpes (offering mixed ability skiing all year long thanks to the Glacier du Mont Lans) and La Plagne (a collection of 10 beautiful Alpine villages that combine to make one fantastic ski resort).

People are venturing farther afield than France as the skiing holidays industry grows and skiers are in search of new thrills and experience, experimenting with ski holidays in the southern hemisphere or in countries normally thought of as desert countries such as Morocco and Iran. As laudable as experimentation and new experiences are, it would be a shame to abandon French skiing altogether, as there is a reason that France occupies the space it does in the skiing universe. The French, quite simply, are excellent at hosting skiing holidays.

Skiing holidays in France have always been popular, and continue to be so; so popular in fact that a skiing holiday to France is almost a cliché. However, as is often said, clichés exist for a reason.

Ljubljana – lovely capital of Slovenia

12 August 2010

Ljubljana is a capital city of Slovenia with 280,000 inhabitants. It is also the biggest city in the country but from world perspective it is only a mid-sized city. Ljubljana is located in Ljubljana basin, surrounded by Ljubljansko Barje, Ljubljansko polje, Kranjsko polje…

The location is very important for the city because it has strategically position on the cross of main road and railway routes in the region. Transport was also the main reason for Romans to establish an settlement in the area where Ljubljana is located today. Romans have called it Emona.

Ljubljana is very important as a stop for long-distance travelers and there are many Ljubljana hotels which can offer accommodation for reasonable prices.

With long and dynamic history Ljubljana is very attractive for history enthusiasts and  as a center of economy in Slovenia also for businessmen looking for a new opportunities to invest they money and find new deals.

If you like to play golf you can do it on Trnovo golf course, where you do not need license to play, or on any other world famous courses located near Ljubljana such as Lipica and Bled.

The main sights in Ljubljana are Tromostovje, famous triple bridge, Zmajski most, bridge ‘protected’ from 4 stone dragons, Prešeren square, the biggest square in city dedicated to Slovenian biggest poet, Ljubljanski grad, a castle located on the hill in the center of the city, Stožice, brand new modern stadium with sports hall and park Tivoli, the biggest park in city.

London the Primary Destination for Tourists in England

26 July 2010

Much of England tourism is focused towards the tourist hot spots of London. So if you have decided to spend you summer vacations in England it is for sure that much of your tour planning would be concentrated towards London.  London being the historical, cultural and financial center stage of England for centuries is the primary place of tourist attraction form all over the world.

Some of the must visit place in London includes:

  • Buckingham Palace the home of British Monarchy is the must visit place for every tourists visiting London. The changing of royal Guard ceremonies that happens in the forecourt of the palace is a special attraction to the visitors.
  • The tower of London is another must see place of London. Even if you have no interest in history lessons, then also the tower of London with its long history associated with British monarchies and the myths associated with it is sure to entice you.
  • The Parliament House with its most famous clock the Big Ben is the most recognized buildings and the icon of London. The delightful architecture and the beguiling landscape of banks of the river Thames would surely be the most enjoyable experiences.
  • If you are passionate about English art and literature then the Tate Britain has to be on your list of must visit places in London. It is an art museum that has extensive collection of British art and literature from the sixteenth century to the present days.
  • The Cabinet War Rooms- the place from where the strategies for World War 2 were planned like the invasion of Normandy, or that of the invasion of North Africa is a must visit place for any history enthusiast.

This is not all. There are lots of other places like the Wembley Stadium, the Eye of London etc for you to visit.

If you want to have a tour of London on Budget then you can consider staying at rented London apartments that provides almost the same amenities that can be expected from hotels and that too at modest prices.

Also the excellent accommodation facilities of London and its extensive transportation facilities help in making London the primary destination of England Tourism.

US Travel And Tourism

19 July 2010

us tourism

Tourism industry has witnessed a bloom in the recent years. Tourism in US grew rapidly with more of international tourists visiting the country to fulfill their dreams to see The Grand canyon national park at Arizona, The Hearst Castle at California, NASA’s Kennedy space centre at Florida and many more.

Due to this rise in the Tourism industry in US there are developments which are taking place in related fields like aviation, hotels, banking etc. All cultures have a recognizable cuisine, a particular kind of cooking method with various spices to keep the flavor intact.

The US also has a unique culture of food which they usually prefer.

They don’t have one typical single cuisine. As far as beverages are concerned US people prefer coffee to tea. Highly sweetened soft drinks are also popular. Americans are greatly influenced by candies, cookies, chocolates and fast foods.

Fast foods usually prepared by US people are fast to prepare, cheap and tasty and so in a way companies like Mc Donalds and KFC starts reaching out to people in other countries and connects people of other countries with US. In this way other countries are well knitted with US and it helps in the growth of the tourism industry.