Wiltshire Tips & articles

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1. 13 March 2011 12:23AM tamosher Report this comment

   I have traveled the world extensively. I feel that it's always worth the effort to see the main attractions in any city or village. I have so many friends that have regretted missing something because of some excuse and then telling friends not to miss the attraction that they wished they would have taken the time to see. We are taking some friends on a trip to France and Italy. One of the main attractions in Provence that they have always wanted to see are the Lavender and Sunflower fields. When we talk about going in late june to see these attractions, they bring up the issue of the heat of summer and the large amount of tourists. So, I tell them that we can go at an earlier time and miss the wonderful fields or give in to the issues at hand and see the sights they have been talking about for years. We are going ... and we will see the Lavender Fields and the spectacular Sunflower Fields! When we stop on the side of the road in Valensole and get out of the car..... the noise from the bees and the fragrance from the Lavender will be proof that they made the right decision.

2. 16 March 2011 3:46AM nathanho Report this comment

   Tamosher raises a good point, namely that it is a lot easier to experience "the must-sees" while you're in a place and make your own opinion than it is to avoid something and regret it later. For example, when in Rome, it's better to pop by the Colosseum and be disappointed that they don't have gladiator fights there anymore (man, was THAT a let down!) than to look back at photos of your Roman holiday that consist largely of sitting in pizzerias and trying to avoid looking like a tourist.

3. 16 March 2011 3:50AM nathanho Report this comment

   Oh, almost forgot: since Stonhehenge was on the list, I feel I have to give one piece of advice regarding it. If you've already rented a car, go for it, since it really is impressive. On the other hand, it looks much like what you've already seen many times a in photos and it's fenced off so you really can't get particularly close to it. I was in England in 2001 and found the nearby village of Avebury much more interesting, as it is home to a stone circle that is much larger in circumference than Stonehenge, but composed of smaller stones. The result is that it doesn't fit easily into a postcard shot, so it is far less famous. Moreover, there is no fence so you can get right up to the stones which, I think, makes for a more memorable experience.

4. 18 March 2011 3:18PM moobear Report this comment

   Like giving advice on the forum, so much depends on what you like. I love ancient history, so the Colosseum was amazing, but I skipped Venice, because I was told it was smelly and expensive and instead spent a wonderful time exploring villages north of Pisa that were connected by goat paths and hung by the ocean cliffs. I'm sure Venice has its charms and I'm sure I would of liked it, but I don't doubt that I made the right choice. Give me little trails and small villages over bus loads of tourists any day.

   Stonehenge, was probably great if you were lucky enough to go see it before it got fenced off, but I think the fence highly detracts from the experience, so I'd say skip it.

   While I could go on and on about my choices, I'll just leave with one more piece of advice, if you do the Eiffel Tower (which I recommend), go up at night, the city really sparkles then.

5. 19 March 2011 12:53AM panosvoudouris Report this comment

   Well, it depends...Generally most monuments are indeed worth seeing and it is not just the monument you get to see, for example the Parthenon is not just a great monument to see but you get the best views of the city.

   But sometimes you don't have to queue to get the best of it: I've been up the Eiffel tower. To be honest, while it is nice and I did waste a morning queuing and going up, it is much nicer to go there, see the tower from the ground and across the river, then head to the Montparnasse tower in the evening and see the city, including the lit Eiffel tower from there.

   The only monument in the list that I'd say I would advise people against going is Stonehenge. They don't let you go close so you queue and waste your time to see some rocks in the distance. No sense of the place, no atmosphere, just some rocks in the distance, might as well see it from the photos, especially as it is in the middle of nowhere.

6. 19 March 2011 1:15AM renegadebadger Report this comment

   The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most touristy place I have ever been to - lots of people taking those stupid photos that makes it look like they are holding it up themselves, shops selling all kind of leaning tat and so on.

   BUT I would definitely recommend it. It is a genuinely weird experience looking at a building that is so clearly out of place. And Pisa is a nice place to be.

7. 20 March 2011 1:31AM shelemm Report this comment

   Judging from what I read on Thorn Tree, many people seem to have little knowledge of what there is aside from the major sights and little interest in anything else. For them, I imagine they will regret not going up the Eiffel Tower.

   But for someone who takes a keen interest in other pursuits, the world opens up to a range of possibilities and there is no question of regret for 'giving up' the experience of the Eiffel Tower since choosing to follow other passions was an important part of the travel experience.

8. 21 March 2011 12:45PM vasenka Report this comment

   Why travel if you have no destination in mind...? The best trips are pilgrimages... How else can you tell when you've arrived...?

   Every city has its tourist sights...? Yes, they can be crowded, lots of touts and other annoyances...

   But definitely, see the main sights...then move on.

   What about the national culture is unique...? Check it all out. It could be the markets, the squares, the street scene, museums...absorb it all...then move on.

   Check out the bar and restaurant scene if you prefer that... The parks, gardens, zoos and beaches...as you like...then move on...

   Of course you travel to see the sights...and experience different cultures first hand...

   Because just reading a guide book or looking at pictures is not enough...

   What is the alternative...sitting in your hotel room watching BBC on cable...?

9. 24 March 2011 7:48AM sanosito Report this comment

   The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a must. Go in May before all the college students in the World take off for Summer. Don't only go up to the top of the tower but really study its design and craftmanship down below from a seat in the park. Stay overnight on Ile St. Louis. Take the train to Mont Saint Michel before leaving France. In Rome, seeing The Colosseum is a must as well. Stay overnight and eat most of your meals in Trastevere. In Venice, opt for the water taxi instead and stay overnight in nearby quiet and charming Padua. Forget Pisa altogether and spend more time (eating and drinking wine) in Siena, Florence and up in the hills in Fiesole! If you must go to Great Britain, ride the Tube and not the Eye in London. Build a foam board model of Stonehenge after you get home and kiss your significant other instead of the Blarney Stone.

10. 24 March 2011 8:53AM lifelongtrvler Report this comment

    Stonehenge? YES- with a car and a guide.

    I agree with nathanho that Stonehenge is worthwhile- if you have a car. We took part of an afternoon and drove from Bath. Part of what made my Stonehenge experience enjoyable was the drive itself. The countryside was beautiful and the open rolling landscape provided a nice respite from the busy, and sometimes cramped, quarters of Bath. (Not that I didn’t LOVE Bath. I did!) We went around 4:00pm in July 2010 and had no issue with waiting in lines to see the stones. Also the fence that everyone speaks of must have changed because we were able to get within a few yards, at times, of the stones. The only thing keeping visitors from touching the stones was a half meter high rope that outlined a circular path. We had a wonderful time sitting and watching the sunset behind Stonehenge before we were nicely asked to head back to the parking lot by the keepers. The only other thing that I would suggest is that you walk the circle with one of the knowledgeable guides, bring a guide book with some historical details, or rent one of the “audio tours” that they provide- for a fee of course. There is a great deal more to Stonehenge than just the big rocks we all think of and learning about the entire archeological site made it a much fuller and interesting experience for me!

11. 24 March 2011 6:34PM njschultz Report this comment

    The Eiffel Tower? Went on a very rainy day in spring-no queue, but the sun broke through while we were up there and we saw the most glorious sunset over Paris. My daughter and I visited Stonehenge on a cold blustery December morning- the reward? We were absolutely the only ones there except for the sheep, and isolation and weather took us back to it's beginning... The Sagrada Familia was hard to appreciate, until one saw Gaudi's original concepts and plans in the small attached museum.Then, my gosh...he was a genius. Pisa has a leaning tower, but it is sitting on the widest and greenest acreage of land next to a shimmering white baptistry and cathedral, plus a very interesting cemetery. Venice is sometimes smelly and sometimes rundown and shabby...but the colors and light are breathtaking. It is a city like no other...and may not last forever. The point is that the monuments are never just the end, but part of the journey of discovery. Getting to them is half the fun, learning how they came to be or what they represent is the rest.

12. 24 March 2011 8:09PM travelinchen Report this comment

    There's no question for me that the Sagrada Familia is the most amazing of all these buildings you listed and with exception of one I've seen them all. Above it all, to me it's the essence of European charm.

    I'm not a big fan of Paris, but the Eiffel tower is worth seeing from close. Unbeatable: have a picknick on one of the benches in the park while looking at the Eiffel Tower, best done around nine when they switch on the lights.

13. 24 March 2011 9:08PM zoe100 Report this comment

    The key to enjoying top tourist attractions is to go out of season or arrive an hour early in the morning or try last thing at night before closing time. Many attractions allow you to buy tickets online which saves time. Make sure you know the opening times and are aware of any local holidays. Bring food, water, comfortable shoes and a sense of humour.

    Walk up the Eiffel tower to the second floor and take warm clothes. The wait is long and it is surprisingly cold up there in the shade. If you don't have the time or patience then the iconic view from the Trocadero will supply all the photo ops you could dream of. Most of these places are famous for a reason and worth the hassle. An essential requirement is a vivid imagination to remove roads, traffic and buildings and see them as they must have been in their heyday. Stonehenge is just a bunch of lichen covered rocks in a field next to a busy road unless you can journey back 5000 years in your mind and see stone age processions. The Parthenon is only ruins in a polluted, overbuilt city unless you can see gold covered statues and pagan ceremonies. Finally, enjoy the queue. You and complete strangers from all over the world are united in a common desire- and possibly common suffering- chat, commiserate, flirt. You may always remember the interminable queue for the Cistine Chapel is the place you met the love of your life!

14. 24 March 2011 9:35PM mrrotterdam Report this comment

    Definately skip the gondola rides in Venice. The prices vary from 80 to 100 euro for 30-40 minutes. And it's totally not romantic because they simply fill up the gondola with other people who also pay a lot of money. It's considerable if you're in Venice with a (small) group, but even then it's still expensive.

    Just take the vaporetto (waterbus). Same view, costs way less!

15. 25 March 2011 7:09AM taieri50 Report this comment

    I remember on a visit to the louvre, a loud person flew past me yelling to everyone else in the group if I just see the mona lisa and the venus de milo, we can get out of here and go to lunch. My advice to anyone is dont have a bucket list - relax, enjoy and go to the places you want to with an open mind and eyes. Dont worry about missing things, thats your excuse to return another time.

16. 25 March 2011 11:07PM collinz88 Report this comment

    Having travelled to most of these places, and many others in asia, it seems to me, that i'd skip most of them, had i known what i know now: which is all i was doing by going to see them was changing the illusions in my head about them for a memory of them, which being a freeze frame image, and reality is in constant change, just becomes another illusion of reality. the real journey is the inner journey.

17. 26 March 2011 2:20PM gypsy331 Report this comment

    I didn't go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but wish I had; even seeing it from the ground, though, is definitely worth the time. The Eye in London is okay to see from the ground, but the view from the top is excellent and worth the time and cost of admission. Stonehenge is okay, but if you're really pressed for time, you can skip it without feeling like you missed anything; as another person said, it's in the middle of nowhere, and they don't let you get very close to it, anyway.

18. 25 May 2011 12:35AM liamkelly1 Report this comment

    I have been to London eye, stone henge, Eifel tower, Sagrada Familia, and edinburgh castle upon reading this article find it hard to believe the Duomo cathedral in Milan is not there. it is the most breathtaking building i have ever seen, http://milanotravel.org/milano_duomo.html check this link out to see for your self. im going to athens this summer so hopefully I am delighted by the sights there to.

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