Tag sights

Venice travel tips

13 June, 14:01, by Ralitza Stamenkova Tags: , , ,

I spent recently four wonderful days in sunny Venice. This is a step-by-step guide to budget Venice.

Transport

Venice transportFor people landing at Treviso airport, my recommendation is to take public transport ATVO. It costs just 7 euro and offers perfect connection to departing and arriving flights. 

When traveling in Venice, I recommend the 24 hours or other pass for Valporetto – the public water transport. It will allow you unlimited travel, so you can see all the islands. Of course, traveling by foot is possible – just keep a map at all times. Venice is practically a maze with only the smartest mice making it to their destination.

Accommodation

Venice bridgesThe best choice has to be the old town. That way you will not need to take a boat every morning and to hurry to go home at the evening. There are less hotels in comparison to the other islands and the main land. Still it's worth it to find your place on the main island. The hotels are expensive and most of them do not offer expected service and accommodation facilities. My recommendation is to search for apartment or studio for hire there. I found good offers on the Trivago page.

Baggage

Once you have booked your stay in Venice, you have to check its location. If you are sure that the boat will stop in front of your hotel / apartment, you do not have to worry about the bags. If this is not the exact case, take a backpack instead. Rolling a trolley bag through the bridges with steep stone-cut steps on the both sides is annoying.

Sightseeing

Buy a small travel guide, otherwise, you will be lost. It is a tough job to visit all places of interest. There are the must-see places where I recommend taking the guided or audio tour (whenever possible). It is almost impossible to walk and read from a big paper guide. If the churches are your passion – buy a chorus pass - 10 euro for 16 churches is a good deal. 

Internet and maps

You will see a lot of tourist puzzling on the maps. If you have an iPod/iPhone, you can use it instead. We used Venice Connect services. Of course, it is payed. You can lose the connection through the many narrow streets, but you get coverage on every bridge. 

Food

Venice bird viewWe have rented a studio without breakfast and enjoyed coffee with croisants and sandwiches every morning. There are a lot of small shops offering snacks and beverges. If you prefer to sit down, visit one of the famous cafes. There are all kinds of cafes: from luxury ones to cheap ones. The same is true for restaurants: the cheapest are the many pizza places.

Remember you can always check the prices on the card menu in order to find the place with the right price for you. The beer seemed to be expensive throughout Venice – 6-12 euros for a pint. The good choice is as glass of Sprit (low-alcoholic cocktail) for about 4 euro. Bread is served as though it is a compliment but you will find it in the bill. Most of the restaurants worked with 8% service charge and are accepting the most popular credit cards, i.e. avoid Diner's Club and AmEx.

Venice must-seeIf you are low-budget traveler, enjoy the breakfast in a cafe in front of one of less popular churches. For lunch, take a sandwich for to go, buy drinks from a shop, take a cake for to go. For the dinner – choose a small restaurant with pizza and spaghetti and a glass of Sprit. 

Keep in mind that the restaurants close at 10 p.m. The bars are opened till 11p.m. After midnight, Venice looks like a ghost town.

Souvenirs

VeniceYou can find in most of the shops small magnets and other souvenirs. Take a tour and check the prices of Venice masks and Morano glass, do not rush to buy – the prices vary dramatically.

Do not forget fo buy different kind of spaghetti and inform in the shop for the best sause for every one of them. Avoid buying spaghetti from shopping streets and markets – there they are offered at a double price. At the end you can pamper yourself with something quite expensive but very delicious - cantoccini.

Have fun and feel the magic of Venice and do not forget to share with me more tips and tricks you found on your journey.

Mallorca sights

15 April, 13:06, by Ralitza Stamenkova Tags: , ,

I assume that you have already organized your Majorca vacation using my previous post. The next step is to select at the six best places to visit (one per day for a week long stay). Of course, here is my list of six recommendations.

The main attractions there are the beaches, cafes, restaurants and small villages. Get a book or magazine, sit  at one of the many water-front cafes – take a drink, eat a salad with fish, a home-made cake and you will find the best definition for relax.

There are several must-to-see places and there are cafes around all of them. You have to be prepared for different types of adventures. Keep in your car  a book or magazine, good hiking shoes and swimming gear. Do not forget the mineral water and your camera!

Cuevas del Drach
If you have already visited a lot of caves in you life, you might think that you can skip this one. You will be wrong. At the very least, spare 10 minutes of your time for the lake concert. The concert is held by an ‘orchestra’ in a boat passing trough a small lake. It is an incredible way to enjoy the magic of classical music.

ChopinValdemossa
You can visit the famous monastery where George Sand and Frédéric Chopin spent several months in the period 1838 – 1839. The monastery is turned into a nice museum. Just entering the building will make you go back 160 years, what a great way to time travel!

Portocristo – great cafes – my favorite place for a coffee, book and a magnificent view of the sea!

Romantica

Plaja Romantica
Visit it on a sunny day when you need a walk in the open with breathtaking sea views. Park your car in front of the beach, leave you flip-flops there and change to good hiking shoes.

I’m not sure how long the round trip takes, I gave up after an hour and did not reach the end. The path is a little bit rocky, with a meter high wall on the sea side – so you can enjoy the views without triggering your fear of heights every step you take.

Calobra
Calobra is the perfect place if you enjoy driving and windy roads are your passion. I was there out of season, so I’m not sure how busy the road is during the high season. The road is slow and if there is a lot of traffic, it can be quite nerve wracking. On my vacation, I was in the only car there in the company of a lot of bikers.

At the end of the road, there is a big parking area. The last 200 meters of it are pedestrian zone. There is a small harbor there and a nice path to a hidden gulf. The path consists of several small tunnels – you have to see it!

Calobra Sa Calobra Calobra Path La Calobra

Tram to Port de SollerPort de Soller
There is a Historic Train To Soller from Palma but I strongly recommend using only the tram. Do not forget to take the tunnel to Soller.

Yes, the train is historic, but you will have to organize your day around its schedule. I found the tram interesting enough – it runs every 30 minutes and you can always take the next one if you want to stay more at the port and watch the sea and mountains while having a cup of hot chocolate. Visit the souvenirs shops – you can find unique gifts for your friends at a reasonable price.

Alcudia – a nice little port and cafes, perhaps too busy during the high season (it was closed out of season).

Lluc monastery – an old monastery with an ancient sundial and a path with great view to the valley.

Cap de Formentor – Definitely a must-see! A cobbled-stoned alley has some of the most amazing view to the rocks and sea. Strongly recommended to go there with your camera and to capture the beauty of Mallorca's nature!

FormentorFornalutx – a mountain village with nice restaurants and lots of trees – very pastoral!

Puerto Pollensa – another port for relaxing walks along the sea side

Palma
Every guide says that there are two main points of interest there (I agree):

Castell de Bellver – Great place for a walk in the surrounding park and one of the best view points over the Palma harbour.
The Cathedral  - Very majestic! You have to visit it! Plan an hour to walk around it and through the small streets of the ‘old town’.

My inspiration for this post was VirtualTourist article Majorca Island Things to do. Without it, my good plan for Mallorca vacation would have been nearly impossible.

Stay tuned! There will be one more post – Mallorca with kids. If you don't have kids, either don't read it or make love (and kids), so you can take advantage of my unique tips.

Mallorca

21 March, 15:10, by Ralitza Stamenkova Tags: , ,

There are a lot of wonderful islands on the Earth. I’ve visited some of them and now I’m ready to recommend one more – Mallorca.

Summary: 7 days – 1500 km drive – rain, sun, wind, calm sea, big waves – caves, curves, sandy beaches, rocks, wild animals, orange trees, lemon trees – great food and coffee, wonderful views. Are you already curious?

First, check out my album Mallorca round and about. You can find pretty much all the important activities that you can do on the island – you can drive, bike, hike, or just relax.

However, you have to organise your stay there first. Here's my list of recommendations.

Rent a car

There are a lot of companies offering rental cars at very good price of 6-8 euro a day. Is it too good to be true? Yes and no.

They are offering a car with full tank and expect you to return it empty. They will charge you about 80 euro for the fuel. The included taxes are the airport fee, and very basic insurance. So by booking online, you will only see a price of about 50 euro for a week. When you actually get the car your bill will be about 220 euro (that's if you want a full insurance, second driver, and baby chair).

The important point is you pay the full tank no matter what. There is no reimbursement if you return the car with non-empty tank.

If you plan to drive a lot (more than a tank) – this is still a good deal, otherwise – check the price of companies offering another fuel policy. We used GoldCar – good price, good cars, good service.
Generally when you go to an island – my advice is – use a local company.

If you do not mind driving, you will enjoy the roads. They are in perfect condition and there's usually no toll for tunnels, highways, etc. The only exception comes if you want to visit Soller – on the road to Soller there is the only paid tunnel, but it is worth it. The alternative is a very slow road, full of curves, I've tried it and do not recommend it. It seams that the road trough the tunnel is only 2km less, but counted in minutes its two times quicker to get you to your goal. The tax for the paid tunnel is about 5 euro.

Where to stay

This decision always depends on your expectation of luxury level of your vacation. There are hotels for every taste in Mallorca. I personally prefer to stay far away for the hotels and crowded areas. If you do not expect room-cleanup on a daily bases and do not mind making your own coffee in the morning, then we have the same vision. You have to choose our Finca on Mallorca – you can see the ex-clients feedback and the schedule for the house.

Here's what you need to check carefully about your Mallorca villa:

  • Is the quoted price per villa or per person?
  • What is the charge per child?
  • Is there an internet connection? You could need it for fine-tuning of your plans, although there is wifi almost in every cafe.
  • What is included in the price? Do you need to pay extra for amenities such as the electricity (you may use airconditioner);
  • What is the fee for the end-cleaning? Normally, this is not included in the price and is about 60 euro.

Where to eat

Everything is a la carte – you can order a coffee, explain how you want it done and you will get exactly what you want. Do not forget to order fresh home-made cakes and sweets! All of them are delicious.

You should definitely try the fresh fish while you are at Mallorca. I'm vegetarian and have to stick to pasta, tapas, salads and soups. My four year-old son claimed the fish was wonderful.

Spanish cuisine is delicious, so the list of recommended dishes could be very long. Just make sure you still take only one seat on the plane ride home. One of my best memories is cup of coffee with milk, cake and unforgettable view to the mountains and the sea on Port de Soller.

Daily Shopping – if you need a cheep supermarket – Eroski is your place. You can find there everything you need for a week-long vacation, especially, if you have forgotten anything or want to cook in the finca.
 
Marketplace – the village market takes place on Sunday or Saturday, so check in advance which one it is. You can find there fresh fruits and vegetales, bread, nuts, cheese, even smoked pork. Do not buy fruits and vegetables in the supermarket, so check open markets and vegetable farms.
 
Water on Mallorca is TERRIBLE. You cannot even wash you teeth with it. Do NOT try to prepare tea or coffee with tap water – use mineral water instead.
 
How to plan your stay there - you will be surprised by the number of places you have to see there. Stay tuned when I cover a dozen of them in my next post!