With a Greece vacation seemingly full of things to do, a single, short visit to the country may not do justice at all. But in order to take full advantage of even the limited schedule afforded for your vacation in Greece, visiting Athens should be a priority. Not only that, having a good idea of the main places to visit in the city may be important in order to fully maximize your time and cover all the important places of note in the city. Here are some suggestions of the things that you might be able to do while in the city of Athens.

Visit Acropolis
No visit to Athens will be complete without going to Acropolis. This prominent hill in Athens is more than just a landmark. It has been honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Acropolis is the site of the ancient fortified town of Athens which date back to as early as the Late Bronze Age. The acropolis is also the site of the country’s best buildings from the Greek Classical Age. In this hill tourist can find the Parthenon, the Erectheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.

The Ancient Agora
After visiting the acropolis, tourists can then head out to the site of the Ancient Agora. This location provides tourists one of the best possible views of the Acropolis. On the Ancient Agora tourists may be able to visit the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the best preserved temples of the ancient Greeks. Also located in the Agora is the Attalos Stoa museum which is a reconstructed ancient Greek building.

Head to Lykavittos Hill
This is one of the more prominent of the dozen hills located in the city of Athens. It is a 200 meter hill that borders the Kolonaki district. It can be reached either by hiking towards the peak or by through a funicular railway for a fee. At the top, one may enjoy the scenery at one of the many restaurants and cafes. This is a site worth going to since it provides a picturesque view of Athens that stretches towards the sea.

Weekend Old Athens Bike Tour
For those who wish to go around the ancient parts of Athens, there is a free bike tour scheduled for every Saturday and Sunday that will take the participants in and around the old and ancient section of Athens. The bike tour usually starts at 10:40 in the morning outside the Thissio metro station. And of course, each one is obliged to bring his or her own bike.

Head For The Beaches
If the weather permits, tourists can also head out south of Athens and in the outskirts towards the city’s beaches. There are buses from the Sygrou station that will take tourists to the destination. Tourists can then check out the magnificent coastline of Greece from any point of the beaches. There are also beach-side cafes that offer refreshments to tourists in the area.

Go For A Cruise
If looking from the beaches is not enough of a Greece vacation for you, you can take a look at Athens and explore the other islands by sea. There are also a variety of cruises available that would take tourists to the surrounding Greek islands such as Mykonos, Paros and Syros.

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STA Travel’s Intern Pat shows us the best of Western Europe: Food, Fun, and Freakin’ amazing adventures in Spain, France, and Italy. Ciao!

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Here at Your Man Tours (YMT), we offer superior European travel tours for the discriminating traveler. We know you’ve spent decades working hard to provide for your family and advance your career. Now that you’re ready to enjoy the fruits of that labor, you’ll naturally want to experience a whirlwind European tour that’s first class from start to finish.

While we offer several different vacation travel packages with European tours as components, our Classic European Spring Tour is strictly Europe all the way. If you’ve ever dreamed of taking some time to tour the continent like the wealthy merchants of old, this is your chance. In fact, our tour is better than the trips the Victorians used to take. Unlike them, you’ll be traveling in an air-conditioned motorcoach with plenty of room to recline and relax without bumping up against your fellow passengers.

Take One of Our European Travel Tours

The Classic European Spring Tour is truly special among our European travel tours, featuring visits to: * France–including the cities of Paris and Nice * Switzerland–including the city of Geneva * Italy–including the cities of Rome, Florence, Pisa and Montecatini * The Sistine Chapel * The Eiffel Tower * Notre Dame Cathedral * The Vatican Museum

This tour makes an ideal trip for a special anniversary, a retirement gift or a long-awaited second honeymoon. Secure your reservations now before this popular tour fills up for the year. Call YMT right now at 1-800-922-9000. We can also be reached by email at info@goymt.com. Be sure to contact us if you have any questions once you’ve booked your trip to Europe.

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Technorati Tags: america, and, Cruises, europe, European, holiday, holland, to, Tours, Travel, vacation

need to fill in insurance form but when filling in form you have to put country. as going on cruise is this classed as EUROPE ?

Mediterranean generally refers to places such as France, Italy, Spain which are in Europe but the term Mediterranean means a body of water that is largely surrounded by land – which could include Egypt. So if you tell us where the cruise takes you and we will let you know if it is all in Europe.

I’m looking to travel from Homburg (NOT Hamburg) or Idar-Oberstein, (both Idar and Homberg are in the Rheinland-Pfalz)in Germany, to Paris, in March.

I’ve heard from some Germans that I can get tickets as cheap as 30 euro, but I have no idea where to search.

Yes, it is possible, but then you have to travel during night.
Have a look at German train site:

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/index.shtml

Hello! I want to take a trip to Europe, but I do not know exactly the best ways to go about how to plan this trip, because I want to go to more than one or two places. I know it’s been done before plenty of times so I would just love to hear some advice or tips!!

I really want to be able to go to Both Denmark and Sweden, as well as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Possibly Spain and London.

I have heard of people going to Europe for 2 or 3 weeks with groups, and visiting all of these places. But, I don’t have a group to go with, I will be doing this on my own. Kinda, like a world tour, to myself! I’m 21 years old, I know some hotels have strict policys about being under the age of 25 and check in, will I have a problem with that?

First age, in Europe you are a full adult at 18, and I have never heard that you would not be welcome in a hotel at that age, at 21 it will not be a problem at all.

It will be much cheaper to stay in hostels, just pay for a bed in a dorm, and it is also easier to get to know others in hostels, compared to hotels.

You can travel Europe with a tour, but I doubt there are tours that include your selection of countries in just 3 weeks, Sweden is not in most organized tours, and if it is, Spain and Italy might not be in it.
Walk into your nearest travel agency or shop online to see what is availeble in package tours, both for young people and for general public.

You can travel by yourself, buy plane tickets, train tickets or a pass and your hotels or hostels. Most people will not even make reservations for hostels till they are actually traveling.
Often traveling alone will be cheaper than going on an organized tour, but tour prices will be a good indication on what kind of costs to expect.

Do not plan to see too much, even if you would just see one city in each of the countries you already have too much for 2 weeks.
Better see fewer countries and see them better.
I think you should see at least two towns or a town and two smaller places per country, so you have a good impression of the area.
Say at least one week per country, anything less and you do not remember the differences, it will become one big blur.

There are a lot of questions on this site about travel in Europe, read them and their answers to learn a lot more.

About the country

Portugal was a world power in 15th and 16th century but was reduced to rubbles during an earthquake in 1755, Napoleon’s Invasion and Brazil’s Independence. Sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Spain and bordering Atlantic Ocean by both west and south coast it is popular for its long and varied coastline, sunny climate and the charming towns makes it a traveler’s paradise. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.

The best thing about Portugal is that despite being a part of modern Europe one can still find the rural dwellings which has stood by time and has preserved its traditions. While modern architectural marvels like high-rise resorts dot the coast in the Southern province of the Algarve, Lisbon on the west coast on the other hand is a crowded city home to many fine tourist resorts. If you want to go back in time you have to just travel few miles north or east where you will see scenic countryside still resemble medieval villages and towns of earlier centuries.

Population & Languages

The population of Portugal is roughly 10.6 million and the official language being spoken is Portuguese. Mirandese is also second officially language spoken in some parts of Portugal.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plug used are round pin with attachment and "Schuko" plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is located in Southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain in north and east and borders Atlantic Ocean by both west and south coast.

Climate

The climate of Portugal can be classified into two. It is oceanic in the north and Mediterranean in the south. It is also one of the warmest countries of Europe. The average temperatures in the mainland are 13°C (55°F) in the north and 18°C (64°F) in the south. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are cold and wet. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Portugal.

Local Customs
Casual dressing is acceptable. But keep in mind not to wear beachwear in towns. Smoking is allowed after meals in Restaurants. Smoking is prohibited in theatres, cinemas and buses. Tipping is 10 to 15 percent in restaurant and hotels and 10 percent to taxis.

Attractions

Castelo de Sao Jorge – Castle of St. George
Alfama – The oldest part of Lisbon
Sé (Cathedral) – first church in Lisbon
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum
The Bairro Alto – The Bairro Alto district, an historic enclave dating back to 1513
Monument to the Discoveries – One of the popular attractions in Lisbon is the monument, situated on the riverbank in the Avenida de Brasilia in the district of Belem, which was designed to commemorate the Portuguese Age of Discovery
Tower of Belem – This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Parque das Nacoes
Fatima
Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis – dedicated to Soares dos Reis, the famous sculptor born and bred in Porto
Igreja de Sao Francisco
Solar Vinho do Porto
Vila Nova de Gaia
Frederico de Freitas Museum
Sao Vicente Caves
Cable Car
Cathedral
Whale Museum
Porto Santo
Setubal
Coimbra
Coimbra University
Guimaraes
Guimaraes church and palace
Braganca

Travel

By Air – The national airline of Portugal is TAP Air Portugal (TP). The airlines operates direct flights to many destinations like Faro, Lisbon and Porto from a number of countries, including Canada, France, Spain, the UK and USA. Portugalia Airlines (NI) operates flights from Europe. Many popular airlines that fly to Poland from UK are British Airways, GB Airways and Monarch Airlines, Easyjet, bmibaby, Jet 2, MyTravelLite, Flybe, Flyglobespan and SATA.The biggest airport is Lisbon International Airport which is located like 4.5 miles north of the city.

By Sea – The main ports for international passengers are Lisbon, Leixes (Oporto), Funchal (Madeira) and Portimão (Algarve), served by Cunard, Italia, Linea C, Olympia, P&O and Union Cas

By Rail – If coming from UK, the fastest way is to get on Eurostar train to Paris and from Paris to Portugal by Sud-Express.

Road – Spain is the only country sharing border with Portugal. The major border posts are open most of the time now.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g smoking tobacco for Non-European union countries.
2. 1 liter spirits with alcohol greater than 22%, or 2 liter spirits or aperitifs made of wine less than 22% or sparkling wines or liqueurs, or a proportionate mix of these, and 2 liters of wine
3. perfume up to 50g and 250ml eau de toilette
4. Gifts up to €175
5. 500g coffee or 100g tea or 40g of tea extract
6. Medicines for personal use

Prohibited Items

Birds and poultry arriving from countries infected with Avian influenza, Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

Technorati Tags: Portugal, travel tips

• Converts US country power plug/prong to European plug
• Quantity: 10 (you will receive 10 plugs for this auction
• 100% brand new

Product Description
10 European Travel Power Adapter Adaptor Converter Plug

Reg $4 each

All 10 are the same adapters with 2 round prongs; this will work in most places in Europe

Converts US country power plug to European plug.)

10 European compatible plug… More >>

10 Pack European Travel Power Adapter Adaptor Converter Plug

Technorati Tags: Adapter, Adaptor, Converter, European, Pack, Plug, Power, Travel

EU travel deals can help to save you lots of money on your dream trip, if you plan some way ahead. Air fares have been coming down for a considerable time, and air travel remains a very tough industry with many bargains to be had.

If you’re planning to travel by train within Europe, there are lots of special offer deals available if you go looking. It varies from country to country, and in nations where the train line network has been privatized from corporation to corporation, but there are always deals available. One of the biggest costs you may face when you plan your trip to Europe is the first travel to the Western European continent. Unless your trip is going to focus completely on one country, it is easily worth comparing the cost of traveling in to a range of possible towns. Many town breaks can be planned in any order, and you may find the least expensive route by making certain that the opening flight is as cheap as practicable. Whichever route you select, be certain to compare the costs across a couple of airlines, and be certain to keep checking the rates.

If you see a real special offer, take it. Rail fares can change considerably from country to country, and even from line to line. If there’s a major line connecting a couple of the states’s largest towns, and a rustic branch line running terribly close to it, the costs might be seriously different. If you’re organizing a long trip, you could have a selection of routes, and in continental Europe you could have a choice of which nations you pass thru. Ensure you make the applicable comparisons. Many rail tickets are offered at a serious discount if they’re prepared some way ahead. In numerous places , for example the UK, travel at top times is charged at a way higher rate. If you will be traveling early in the morning, you may finish up paying a way higher amount than you were expecting. It isn’t necessarily known that there’s frequently an alternative choice to this. The major coach operators do not charge this supplement for morning travel, and in the morning they can frequently get to major towns just about as fast as a train.

They make less stops, and the major freeways aren’t crowded early in the morning. These coach operators offer their own EU travel deals, and you can go by coach to the majority of the major towns in Europe. This won’t be as quick as flying, or perhaps using the rail network, nevertheless it may actually save your money. It also has a benefit of being a combined continent wide network, so making advance bookings in English is simply possible and passport control is integrated into the travel network.

Using the coaches is the best way to budget with Western European travel deals.

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