Europe can get mighty crowded in July and August. Solution? Go in May or June, when museum line-ups are shorter and restaurant reservations much easier to get. Here are four cities you should check out before the summer crowds arrive. LONDON This city can be frighteningly expensive. But I’ve found some fun and affordable neighbourhoods, including my new, favourite part of the city. The area around the Southwark tube station is a thriving region on the south side of the Thames River, but only a short walk or subway ride to the main attractions of London, including The Globe Read more
Slovenia
I found an item on Yahoo News today, and I think it’s appalling. Yahoo quotes the Wall Street Journal as saying some Las Vegas hotels are charging people up to $200 (that’s US dollars) to reserve a chair by the pool. Not a cabana. Oh, no. Those can cost $1,000. This is just for a chaise lounge or chair next to the pool (where it’s probably 100 Fahrenheit, by the way.) It’s disgusting, it’s greedy, and it shouldn’t be allowed. A lounge chair for $200? Why not charge for water from the shower? Or for adjusting the thermostat? Why not Read more
Priceoftravel.com has released its annual list of what it costs to spend a day in a whack of European cities. There’s a real science to it, as they look for cheap three-star hotels that have mostly positive online reviews and tally up the cost of one night’s stay (based on double occupancy). They also add in two short cab rides, one cultural attraction, three higher-end restaurants that are still ranked as “budget” and three drinks. Based on those factors it’s amazing how much the cost of a day in Europe can vary. In Bucharest, arguably not a chart topper on Read more
Jim Byers Photo India is one of the destinations you can book with BikeHike Adventures. Here’s another cool-sounding Canadian travel company to keep an eye on. BikeHike Adventures , a company based in Vancouver and run for 20 years by former Torontonian (and still Toronto lover, just fyi) Trish Sare, offers tremendous looking packages that promise interaction with locals in some awesome parts of the world. In a recent visit to the city, Sare explained some of the company’s background and philosophy. “We offer multisport holidays to some 30 destinations around the world,” she told me. “It’s mostly central and Read more
CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN ON THE SILVERSEA SILVER SPIRIT – A country I already loved. And a new one that might be just as awesome. I had the good fortune over the past few days to visit Slovenia, a country I first went to in 2009 as Travel Editor at the Star and fell in love with. This time I’m travelling with the Silversea cruise line; a fine and wonderful experience. Slovenia is a former part of Yugoslavia and is relatively small; crossable in a few hours of driving. But it’s got an amazing variety that’s the envy of Europe, or Read more
