If you’re Europe travel planning, make sure that you come to Norway, at least once, in May. May 17th is Norway’s Constitution Day. Schools are off, offices and shops are closed. Everybody is out to celebrate. The photos today are from Trondheim, the third biggest city of Norway.Here the day starts with a parade for school children and brass bands at 10 am, it continues with a parade
Something to celebrate this week – this is my 100th post at the Europe a la Carte Blog. In honour of making a century, I decided to post on one of my all-time favourite travel experiences in Europe (and beyond) – travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway across Russia.A ride on the Trans-Siberian railway is the best way to reach the European part of Russia from the eastern side and is
Come summer and you will see hordes of people off to beaches, lakes and gardens in The Netherlands – barbecues and water sports become the flavour of the season. The one place that fits into the scheme of things these days is the Scheveningen Beach. Located on the shores of the North sea, the beach is a nice, cosy and a relaxing getaway on a sunny week end.Scheveningen Beach Pier by celeste
Situated on France’s northern coast on the English Channel, Calais is often considered simply as the UK’s gateway into France and Europe but not as an obvious tourist destination, except on a booze cruise for Brits to load up with cheap French alcohol. Many speed through the town on their way to or from the continent not realising that Calais, like Boulonge, is actually a very attrac
Earlier this month, my husband and I found ourselves on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast again. Having spent a good three years in the country, we had already covered the crowd pleasers like Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir and Hvar, and were looking for something new.Don’t get me wrong, I count these stops amongst the best places to visit in Europe, but I was ready to fall in love with some place new. That’s w
As the summer travel season begins, there will be a different kind of buzz in Europe this summer. On Saturday, the title of Europe’s best football club was decided as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League Final in Madrid. With less than three weeks left before the World Cup, much of Europe will turn their attention to football.If you are traveling in Europe in June or
The Verdant Works in Dundee, Scotland illustrates the history of the Dundee jute industry. This museum is my Europe travel tip for visitors to Dundee interested in Scottish industrial heritage. This Dundee attraction opened in the early 1990s when the Dundee Heritage Trust purchased the then derelict Verdant Mill.Dundee’s global jute connectionsJute became a big industry in Dundee for thre
I hate Leicester Square. There is nothing good about this area of Central London. Nothing. I find myself walking the long way ’round it to get to Soho because my hatred of it is so strong. If you want to find yourself surrounded by aimless tourists taking photos of cinemas (why?) and soulless expensive bars, then head here.But there’s a little secret around Leicester Sqaure that no on
Quick – book your tickets now! Â It’s time for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, this year being held in Oslo, Norway. Â (If you’re unfamiliar with Eurovision, you’re missing out on one of Europe’s cult culture classics – check out the Wikipedia page for all the grotesque details.)Oslo is a top European destination – it was recently announced as a Top 20 Ci
Doing some Europe travel planning and looking for somewhere new to go in France? I’d like to suggest another little-known spot: Montpellier. It’s a University town that has fabulous TGV access to all of the major railway hubs, including Paris and Barcelona. Here are a few Europe travel tips on things to do in Montpellier:Architecture:  There’s both modern and old world archi
There are heaps of reasons for visiting Vienna, such as the Baroque Zoo or the Hofburg Palace. Guest writer Cristina Dima even fell in love there. May is the perfect time to go, because the Vienna International Festival is on!  Called the Wiener Festwochen, it’s a month of arts grandeur and fun.  The festival was established in 1951 as an effort to “demonstrate Austria’s will
Venice and glass goes together like hands and gloves. And tourists visiting Venice often want to visit a glass factory. Out at Murano, the glass blowing island in the laguna, you can get that possibility. All through the day tourists are welcome to one of the many glass workshops to watch artists working.You don’t need to visit Murano to meet glass artists though. You find them in Venice as
I had dinner in Sails Brasserie at St Aubin’s Harbour on the Channel Island of Jersey in May 2010, accompanied by Jackie Gully of Jersey.com. The Brasserie is on the first floor of The Boat House overlooking the harbour. We selected from the ÂŁ25 three course set menu (some dishes do carry a supplement) although my choice was supplement free.View of St Aubin’s harbour from Sails
One of the surprising things for the first-time visitor that separates Amsterdam from other European cities is the fact that the central areas see very little in the way of traffic congestion simply because cars are not very practical in a city that is criss crossed by numerous canals. Because of this many visitors find it more practical to walk around the relatively small tourist areas of this
I can never resist visiting a museum which sounds interesting and when I heard about the Folklore Museum on the Greek island of Samos I simply had to go and take a look.Samos is a European destination with many attractions and, as I was there only on a day trip from the Turkish port of Kusadasi, I had to make a choice. The comparative shortage of time (5 hours) between arrival and departure of th
Speaking to someone this week who was born in Warsaw, I was reminded of one of my favourite museums – the Historical Museum of Warsaw. I love how it’s built into several great historical buildings on Warsaw’s main square, as well as how well-prepared the exhibits are. They cover pretty much the whole history of Warsaw and do it in a really interesting way.When I went to check it
For many visitors to France from the UK Boulogne-sur-Mer is just another ferry port. The Dover-Boulogne ferry route is popular choice, and while many holiday-makers arriving in France quickly drive off the ferry and head straight on to their destination, those same people on their return journey often arrive in Boulogne with time to kill before their departure back to the UK. If you are heading o
Looking for a Mediterranean summer resort with history? How about 2000 years of history? Ancient Roman Emperor Tiberius used to enjoy spending summers in this beautiful seaside retreat on the Tyrrhenian Sea and, millennia later, modern-day Romans still escape the city’s sweltering summers by relaxing on the beach of  beautiful Sperlonga, one of my favourite European destinations.Sperlonga lies so
I adore pastry. It’s a thing of genius. Sweet, savoury, flaky, crumbly, all covered in butter. Pastry is basically the answer to any problem. I’ve solved many a dilemma with a bit of apple pie. So I need to know exactly where the best bakeries in London are (who knows when apple pie moments might strike?) I’ll be honest, I prefer pastry goodies to cupcakes.Here are my Europe tra
When most tourists think of Denmark they tend to consider destinations such as the country’s stunning capital Copenhagen. One of Denmark’s hidden gems is the island of Bornholm, which due to its remoteness has developed only very slowly in the post-war years. But recently tourism in this off the beaten track European destination has been a major boost for the almost 50,000 island
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