Things to do in Europe
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Rome To Paris
21 days (Rome)
by Intrepid
Visit iconic cultural attractions in Rome, Travel across the undulating Tuscan countryside, See the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Mingle with locals in Lucca, one of…Not LP reviewed
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Spiš Castle
The sprawling ruins of Spišský hrad are the largest in Slovakia, some claim in all of Central Europe. The fortress was first constructed in 1209, wrecked by the Tatars in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 15th century.
Although the castle burnt down in 1780, wandering through the labyrinth of half-height walls you get a good sense of how big the place really was. Few structures remain whole today, but there's a cistern, a chapel and a rectangular Romanesque palace, which holds the museum. Descend to the dungeon to see the meaty bits - it's incredible the torture devices the human mind can think up.
The hilltop views are spectacular, especially in summer when…
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Plaza de la Cibeles
Of all the grand roundabouts that punctuate the Paseo del Prado, Plaza de la Cibeles most evokes the splendour of imperial Madrid.
The jewel in the crown is the astonishing Palacio de Comunicaciones. Built between 1904 and 1917 by Antonio Palacios, Madrid’s most prolific architect of the belle époque, it combines elements of the North American monumental style of the period with Gothic and Renaissance touches. It serves as Madrid’s town hall (Ayuntamiento), with the main post office occupying the southwestern corner. Other landmark buildings around the plaza’s perimeter include the Palacio de Linares and Casa de América, the Palacio Buenavista (1769) and the…
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Abney Park Cemetery
Unfairly dubbed ‘the poor man’s Highgate’ by some, this magical place was bought and developed by a private firm from 1840 to provide burial grounds for central London’s overflow. It was a dissenters (ie non-Church of England) cemetery and many of the most influential Presbyterians, Quakers and Baptists are buried here, including the Salvation Army founder, William Booth, whose grand tombstone greets you as you enter from Church St.
Since the 1950s the cemetery has been left to fend for itself and, these days, is as much a bird and plant sanctuary, a gay cruising ground and a hang-out for some of Hackney’s least salubrious drug users, as a delightfully overgrown…
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Parc du Cinquantenaire
Parc du Cinquantenaire was built during Léopold II's reign. It's best known for its cluster of museums - art, history, military and motor vehicles - that house an incredible 350,000 artefacts from all continents. We love the fine jewellery and cult of the dead funerary gifts from the Merovingian civilization. There is also the massive Arcade du Cinquantenaire, a triumphal arch built in 1880 to celebrate 50 years of Belgian independence. In summer, this area is put to good use with a popular drive-in cinema.
The Royal Art and History Museums in the southern wing of the Cinquantenaire buildings are chock-a-block with antiquities from all over the world.
Autoworld, in the…
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Kirche am Steinhof
Situated in the grounds of the Psychiatric Hospital of the City of Vienna, Kirche am Steinhof, built from 1904 to 1907, is the remarkable achievement of Otto Wagner. Kolo Moser chipped in with the mosaic windows, and the roof is topped by a copper-covered dome that earned the nickname Limoniberg (Lemon Mountain) from its original golden colour. It’s a bold statement in an asylum that has other art-nouveau buildings, and it could only be pushed through by Wagner because the grounds were far from the public gaze.
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Schloss Schönbrunn
A tour of Schloss Schönbrunn focuses on the palace itself – especially the Habsburg residents. This means grand rooms and background on the habits and quirks of Austria’s famous family. Of the 1441 rooms within the palace, 40 are open to the public. The Imperial Tour takes you into 26 of these, and in the last room those on a Grand Tour show their tickets again and continue through the remaining rooms. Note that the Grosse Galerie (Great Gallery), part of both tours, is being restored until late 2012. Despite the rather steep prices, both tours are well worth doing for an insight into the people and the opulence of the baroque age. Because of the popularity of the palace,…
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Capilla Real
The Royal Chapel adjoins Granada’s cathedral and is an outstanding Christian building. Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned this elaborate Isabelline Gothic–style mausoleum. It was not completed until 1521; they were temporarily interred in the Convento de San Francisco.
The monarchs lie in simple lead coffins in the crypt beneath their marble monuments in the chancel, enclosed by a stunning gilded wrought-iron screen created in 1520 by Bartolomé de Jaén. Also here are the coffins of Isabella and Ferdinand’s unfortunate daughter, Juana the Mad, and her husband, Philip of Flanders. There is some doubt as to whether Juana was mad at all. She was Charles…
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Wallenstein Palace
Valdštejnské náměstí, a small square northeast of Malostranské náměstí, is dominated by the monumental 1630 palace of Albrecht of Wallenstein, general of the Habsburg armies, who financed its construction with properties confiscated from Protestant nobles he defeated at the Battle of Bílá Hora in 1620. It now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic, but you can visit some rooms on weekends.
The ceiling fresco in the Baroque Hall shows Wallenstein as a warrior at the reins of a chariot, while the unusual oval Audience Hall has a fresco of Vulcan at work in his forge.
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Süllberg Hill
Once, a former fishing village and haven for cut-throats, the suburb Blankenese now boasts some of the finest and most expensive houses in Germany. For visitors, the area's attraction lies in its hillside labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets, with a network of 58 stairways (4864 steps in total!) connecting them.
The best views of the Elbe (nearly 3km wide here) and the container ships putting out to sea are enjoyed from the 75m-high Süllberg hill (head through the restaurant at the summit). Getting off bus 48 at Weseberg - having passed the clutch of beachfront restaurants and cafés and reached the summit of the following hill - you'll see a sign pointing to the nearby…
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Cathédrale Notre Dame
One of the crowning architectural achievements of Western civilisation, the 130m-long Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres was built in the Gothic style during the first quarter of the 13th century to replace a Romanesque cathedral that had been devastated by fire – along with much of the town – in 1194. Because of effective fundraising and donated labour, construction took only 30 years, resulting in a high degree of architectural unity. It is France's best-preserved medieval cathedral, having been spared postmedieval modifications, the ravages of war and the Reign of Terror.
The cathedral's west, north and south entrances have superbly ornamented triple portals, but…
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Culture Palace
By far Târgu Mureş' top attraction dominates the square's southwestern corner, the Culture Palace, the city's beloved landmark. Built in 1911-13, the secessionist-style building is unlike anything you'll find around Transylvania. Inside its glittering, tiled, steepled roofs are ornate hallways, colourful walls, giant mirrors imported from Venice, and an often-used concert hall (with a dramatic 4463-pipe organ). Not to mention several worthwhile museums (all included in the entry price).
The best is the Hall of Mirrors (Sala Oglinzi), with 12 stained-glass windows lining a 45m hallway - a tape in various languages explains the Székely fairy tales each portrays. The Art…
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Alexander Kazbegi Museum
Alexander Kazbegi (1848-93) made the unusual decision to become a shepherd after studying in Tbilisi, St Petersburg and Moscow. Later he worked as a journalist and wrote the novels and plays that made him famous. At the end of his life he suffered from insanity. He died in Tbilisi, but his coffin was carried back to Kazbegi. His museum is a five-minute walk north from the main square.
You first come to a church, dated 1809-11, with a striking relief of two lions with a chain above its door. To its east and west are two structures that look like bell towers but are actually the tombs of Alexander's father and mother. The writer's own grave lies under a large stone…
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St Mark's Square
Napoleon dubbed it the 'finest drawing room in Europe', and visitors and pigeons alike have been flocking here for centuries to strut and crow. There is a constant carnival atmosphere thanks to the cacophony of duelling cafe orchestras, cooing pigeons, and constant traffic of waiters serving alfresco diners.
Now that most visitors arrive in Venice via the railway station, the magical symbolism of the waterside Piazzetta San Marco has to a great extent been lost.
The piazzetta's two columns bear emblems of the city's patron saints: the winged lion of St Mark and the figure of St Theodore. From the Campanile (bell tower), you can enjoy breathtaking views. St Mark's Square…
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Prešernov Trg
The centrepiece of Ljubljana's wonderful architectural aesthetic is this marvellous square, a public space of understated elegance that not only serves as the link between the Center district and the Old Town but as the city's favourite meeting point. The square itself is dominated by a monument to the national poet France Prešeren.
Immediately south of the statue is the city's architectural poster-child, the small but much celebrated Triple Bridge (Tromostovje). The original Špital Bridge (1842) was nothing spectacular, but between 1929 and 1932 superstar architect Jože Plečnik added the two pedestrian side bridges, furnished all three with stone balustrades and lamps…
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Freedom Monument
Over the canal from Līvu Laukums you'll find the Freedom Monument. During the Soviet years the Freedom Monument was off-limits, and placing flowers at its base was a crime for which people were deported to Siberia.
Topped by a bronze female Liberty holding up three stars facing west, representing three regions of Latvia - Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale - it bears the inscription Tēvzemei un Brīvībai (For Fatherland and Freedom).
During the Soviet years the Freedom Monument was off-limits, and a statue of Lenin, facing the other way down Brīvības iela, was placed two blocks east. Lenin was removed on the night of 20 August 1991, after the collapse of the Moscow coup…
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outdoor activities
Agencies such as 3glav, Life Trek and OSA organise a wide range of outdoor activities in and around Bled, including trekking, mountaineering, rock climbing, ski touring, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, canyoning, caving, horse riding and paragliding.
A 2½-hour rafting trip down the Sava Bohinjka/Soča River costs around €23/around €30, and a three-hour canyoning descent is around €45. Kayak trips lasting three hours cost around €38. Paragliding is around €70. Horse riding starts at around €40 for a two-hour outing.
A half-day tour of the (easy) Bobji Zob cave near Bohinjska Bela is around €20, while the more challenging Simnovo Brezno…
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Parppeinvaara Traditional Village
Few places bring Karelian traditions to life as vividly as the Parppeinvaara Traditional Village. The hill is named for Jaakko Parppei (1792–1885), a bard and kantele player, whose songs inspired the Kalevala epic. The folked-up harpsichordlike sounds of the kantele can be heard throughout the village and you can see this unique stringed instrument on display, along with various other Karelian cultural artefacts, in the small museum. The collection of Karelian buildings is a powerful evocation of history with informative guides wearing feresi (traditional Karelian work dress) and answering questions about the displays. The small Orthodox Church at the back of the…
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Cathedral of Ss John the Baptist & John the Evangelist
Of the historical buildings outside the museum’s administration, the largest and most impressive is the giant Gothic Cathedral of SS John the Baptist & John the Evangelist. Work started around 1260 and was only completed at the end of the 15th century, by which time the church dominated the town’s skyline, as it still does today. Its massive tower houses Poland’s second-largest historic bell (after the one in the Wawel Royal Cathedral of Kraków), the Tuba Dei (God’s Trumpet). Cast in 1530, it weighs 7238kg and is rung for significant religious and national events. On the southern side of the tower, facing the Vistula, is a large 15th-century clock; its original face and…
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Suomenlinna Island
An ideal day or half-day trip from Helsinki is to pack a picnic and take the regular ferry to the island fortress of Suomenlinna. A great deal of Helsinki's history was shaped here - the World Heritage Listed fortress was founded by the Swedes in 1748 to protect against the Russians but following a prolonged attack, Sveaborg was surrendered to the Russians in 1808.
There are several good cafés on Suomenlinna, but many locals like to picnic among the fortress ruins with a few drinks - it can get pretty boozy here on summer weekends. At around 17:00 it's worth finding a spot to watch the enormous Baltic ferries pass through the narrow gap.
HKL ferries depart every 20…
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Gorky Park
Part ornamental park, part fun fair, Gorky Park is one of the most festive places in Moscow – a perfect way to escape the hubbub of the city. Officially the Park Kultury (Park of Culture), it’s named after Maxim Gorky. The park stretches almost 3km along the river, upstream of Krymsky most. You can’t miss the showy entrance, marked by colourful flags waving in the wind, and the happy sounds of an old-fashioned carousel. Inside, Gorky Park has a small Western-style amusement park, which features two roller coasters and almost a dozen other terror-inducing attractions (that is, aside from the view of the Peter the Great statue). Most of the rides cost around R50 to R100.…
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Warner Brothers Movie World
This movie theme-park, 25km south of central Madrid, has much to catch the attention. Kids will love the chance to hang out with Tom and Jerry, while the young-at-heart film buffs among you will be similarly taken with the Wild West or remakes of the studio sets for such Hollywood ‘greats’ as Police Academy. Entrance to the park is via Hollywood Boulevard, not unlike LA’s Sunset Boulevard, whereafter you can choose between Cartoon World, the Old West, Hollywood Boulevard, Super Heroes (featuring Superman, Batman and the finks of Gotham City) and finally Warner Brothers Movie World Studios. It’s all about the stars of the silver screen coming to life as life-sized…
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Estates Theatre
Prague’s oldest theatre and finest neoclassical building, the Estates Theatre is where the premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni was performed on 29 October 1787, with the maestro himself conducting. Opened in 1783 as the Nostitz Theatre (after its founder, Count Anton von Nostitz-Rieneck), it was patronised by upper-class German citizens and thus came to be called the Estates Theatre – the Estates being the traditional nobility.
After WWII it was renamed the Tylovo divadlo (Tyl Theatre) in honour of the 19th-century Czech playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl. One of his claims to fame is the Czech national anthem, Kde domov můj? (Where is My Home?), which came from one of…
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Kalemegdan Citadel
Capture the hill protected by the junction of the Sava and Danube Rivers and you control the land to the south. This explains why there has been a fortified settlement here since Celtic times, but such prime real estate attracts enemies. Over the last 2300 years some 115 battles have been fought over this site, and parts of it and the outer city have been razed 44 times, as one conqueror removed another.
What remains today dates from the 18th century. The core of the fortifications is the Upper Citadel, accessed by several massive gates and bridges (now wooden) over deep moats.
The main entrance is the Stambol Gate, built by the Turks around 1750, which leads to the…
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Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation
Visionary architect Le Corbusier redefined urban living in 1952 with the completion of this vertical, 337-apartment ‘garden city’, also known as Cité Radieuse (Radiant City). Along its darkened hallways, primary-coloured downlights create eerie tunnels leading to a mini-supermarket, architectural bookshop and panoramic rooftop ‘desert garden’. However forward-thinking the architecture, it has esoteric appeal: many just see a concrete apartment block.
For Le Courbusier lovers, stay at Hôtel Le Corbusier, two floors in the middle of the tower. ‘Cabins’ are tiny cells; studios look sharp, particularly those with sea views and Le Corbusier chairs, but for design…
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Plaza de Oriente
A royal palace that once had aspirations to be the Spanish Versailles. Sophisticated cafes watched over by apartments that cost the equivalent of a royal salary. The Teatro Real, Madrid’s opera house and one of Spain’s temples to high culture. Some of the finest sunset views in Madrid. Welcome to Plaza de Oriente, a living, breathing monument to imperial Madrid.
At the centre of the plaza, which the palace overlooks, is an equestrian statue of Felipe IV. Designed by Velázquez, it's the perfect place to take it all in with marvellous views wherever you look. If you’re wondering how a heavy bronze statue of a rider and his horse rearing up can actually maintain that…
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