Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam is one of the large tourist cities in Vietnam and there are fairly many places to be seen. The specialty of this place is that the mixture of culture with the Chinese dominance on the city and after that as a French colonization. The modernization of the city has not affected the architecture of the city very much and the present modernization policy of the city is expected to increase the status of the city greatly.
The Noi Bai International Airport is located at 35 Kms from the city and it is well connected with several other cities. It is all about museums at Hanoi as they preserve the beautiful cultural heritage of the city in its museums. There are few parks and the Hoan Kiem Lake is good place to hang out in the evenings. Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is a place where you can get the live performance by musicians and should not be missed.
(Image courtesy of Greg Hayter)
Nevers is a town in Nièvre, central France. You can reach there easily by train from Paris. It just takes two hours from Paris-Bercy and the train fare costs around 65 Euros. You can also reach there by car from Paris in just two hours through the A6 highway.
Nevers is a very small town on the banks of the Loire River and all the areas of interest lies within an area of one square kilometer. Hence it can easily be covered by walking. Some important places of visit include the Church of St Gildard which has within it the incorrupt body of Saint Bernadette since 1925 and it is located at the Espace Bernadette. There is Place Carnot which is at 500 meters from this church and it is the centre of the town which has the Sainte-Marie chapel and ducal palace of 15th century. Some important things that can be bought here include potteries done with great art work and the nougat with crunchy almond and sugar centre and not to forget the Pouilly Fumé, wine available here.
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Delphi is a modern town in the south-western side of Mount Parnassus in Greece. It is also a place of archeological importance as it is an important place of worship for the Greek god Apollo after he slew Python. Commemorating this, every four years, Athletes from round the world participated in the Pythian Games which is the predecessor to the modern day Olympics. Yet another point about Delphi is that, in the Greek world, this place is considered as the centre of the earth and the Universe.
To get into Delphi you can only use the buses from Athens in the terminal B bus station. This travel takes around three hours and daily buses are available from Athens to Delphi for every two and half hours and return from Delphi is also available. The place can be easily covered by walk hence you may not need any other means of transport. But if it is necessary, you can get taxis available there easily. a couple of interesting places there include the Sanctuary of Apollo and the Sanctuary of Athena with the Tholos and several other beautiful buildings that essentially describe the beauty of the Greek civilization.
(Image courtesy of Alun Salt)
Kusadasi, (”Bird Island” in Turkish) is a beautiful little town in Turkey’s Aydin province. The resort town is one of the most popular Turkish destinations for European visitors to this Middle Eastern country. British holidaygoers often make it a point to converge around Kusadasi due to its popularity with Europeans and the very helpful tourist infrastructure in place. British pubs and bars can easily be found in Kusadasi, as can cheap accomodation that is easy and flexible catering to room only, bed and breakfast, half or full board or all inclusive preferences.
Kusadasi is located at a bay in the Aegean coast. The city is flanked by the imposing Kaz Dagi mountain and the peninsula of Guvercin Ada peninsula that juts out into to the Aegean sea. The city’s relatively modest population of 50,000 can quickly swell to over half a million during the summer tourist season. Kusadasi is often viewed as a congregating resort from where excursions can be launched into the rest of Turkey. Transportation around town is usually faciliated by the local minibus called dolmus.
(Image courtesy of HBarrison)
Phan Thiết is the capital of the Vietnamese province of Bình Thuận and is an important town in the Southeastern region of Vietnam.Located on the shores of the South China sea, the region is considered one of the principal fishing ports in Vietnam. Until recently, the city wasn’t that popular as a tourist destination but with the flocking of thousands of people to view the full solar eclipse in 1995 on the Mui Ne beach, the existence of such a beautiful beach became known to the outside world.
The Mui Ne beach is perhaps the best known beach and coastal resort in the SouthEast Asian country of Vietnam. The beach is known for its tropical weather and strong winds which makes it the perfect destination for windsurfing and kitesurfing. If you are a person who is not much into adventure sports, then having a chilled beer and resting on the sands of the beach is the best thing you can do!
(Image courtesy of Lucas Jans )
Borobudur is a ninth century Buddhist temple complex in the Megalang, a region in the Java island of Indonesia. The temple complex was established by the Sailendra kingdom rulers over a period of about eighty years. The temple complex is known for its intricately carved reliefs and motifs and was made entirely of volcanic rock. Another notable feature of this place is the temple complex covers a distance of five kilometers end to end and the 504 Buddha statues on the platforms. This UNESCO World Heritage center is one of Indonesia’s most visited monument and the nearest airport is located at Yogyakarta and Solo.
The stupa consists of six levels and statues of Buddha depicting the six different postures of Buddha are depicted in a beautiful manner. The stupa was constructed on the lines of the same architectural plans as seen on many Cambodian Hindu temples in Angkor Wat . The main dome on the top of the stupa is perhaps the most interesting part in this Buddhist temple complex as it is surrounded by 72 peforated stupas with idols of Buddha inside them!
(Image courtesy of jmhullot)
The mere mention of Istanbul evokes images of exotic bazaars, spice laden markets and beautiful bellydancers moving to the strain of Eastern music. The city is a confluence of multiple cultures, and rightfully claims to have one foot in the East and one in the West. The meeting point of Europe and Asia – an embodiment of all that is Eurasia – Istanbul is the stuff of dreams. The seat of the ancient Byzantine Empire and known previously as both Byzatium and Constantinople, the city is one of the best known tourist destinations in the world.
This ancient city on the Bosphorus boasts of many interesting sights and sounds. The imposing Sultan Ahmed Mosque (a.k.a. the Blue Mosque) is an iconic piece of Ottoman architecture that has come to represent not just the city of Istanbul but Turkey at large. Built by the Ottomon king Sultan Ahmed over a Byzantine palace, the mosque is a sight-seeing must for any visitor to Istanbul. The Hamam, or Turkish bath is a cultural construct that is renowned across the world. And what better place to experience an authentic Turkish bath than the capital of Turkey! The Suleymaniye bath is one of the best known Turkish baths in Istanbul and provides for a relaxing bathing experience in a serene, ethnic environment.
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Alghero is a small town in the Northwestern part of Sardinia in Italy. The region is known for its beauty in the form of beaches and other historical monuments. It became a popular tourist destination after the Second World War and was also called as Little Barcelona. Among the best historical monuments that can be visited here, is the Alghero Cathedral which was first constructed in the Catalan-Gothic style and then renovated in the Late Rennaissance style. The church of St’Francis that was constructed in the 14 th Century stands as a good example for the Catalan-Gothic architecture. There are a number of megalithic edifices called Nuraghe in the region that trace the history of Sardinia and its regions.
The town is known for its beaches with sparkling blue waters and offers a number of activities like Scuba diving, snorkelling etc. The underwater Nereo cave, which is considered to be the largest cave in the Mediterranean sea is a hot spot for Scuba divers! There are also a number of other activities like rock climbing, bird watching or caving that you can do on this beautiful island.
(Image courtesy of ComùnicaTI)
The capital of the Arab country of United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is the second largest city and lies in the Persian Gulf. The city is the seat for many large organizations and governments and has been always described as the richest city in the World! The city’s skyline is flanked by huge parks and it has a number of swanky boutiques. The name Abu Dhabi seems to have originated from the Arabic words that loosely stands for “with deer”. Abu Dhabi was earlier called as Milh which stands for “salt” in Arabic.
Abu Dhabi has little to offer for history loving tourists- however, the beautiful Sheik Zayed mosque,the sixth largest in the world is worth a visit for its beautiful Islamic architecture and murals. The magnificent Khalifa park is yet another interesting place to visit. Other than that, Abu Dhabi is truely a shopper’s paradise. There are a number of malls with a number of shops offering anything ranging from the most stylish dresses to antiques and Persian carpets! Also, do not forget to bargain when you shop in Abu Dhabi!
(Image courtesy of michael gallacher)
Si Phan Don which literally means “Four Thousand Islands” in Lao is a group of islands in the Mekong river and is located in the Champasak region of Souther Laos. Don Khong is the administrative seat of the region and is the largest of the islands. The islands lie pretty close to the Cambodian border and can be easily reached by road both from Cambodia of the Laos town of Pakse or Ban Nakasang.
The islands are pretty well set in the backdrop of the beautiful Mekong river that has the largest water fall in SouthEastern Asia. Other than the waterfalls, the narrow gauge railway constructed by the French in the 1900’s is a good place of interest. The Mekong river after the falls is known for the Irrawady dolphins, which is an endangered species. You could also rent a boat and take a ride in the Mekong river with one of the locals.
(Image courtesy of NeilsPhotography)
