At the moment, Bulgaria is not quite considered a normal excursion target. But that makes it even better suited for our annual boys’ weekend getaway. And so, the seven of us hit the road to start a conversation with Sofia.
Browsing: City Trip
Tips for a worthwhile city trip in Europe and what you can do there.
Author Letizia Lorenzetti enjoys visiting cultural cities such as Dresden, Meissen, Vilnius and Milan. But also Bolzano or Antwerp have taken a liking to the busy graphic artist, as her impressive travel reports prove.
Isa and Stefan visited Lisbon as well as Katja and Walter. Rome, Florence and Venice are also among their destinations.
Walter had a look around London, Berlin and Hamburg. Katya in Granada and St. Petersburg.
Other cities in the repertoire are Sofia, Brussels, Edinburgh, Stuttgart or Copenhagen and Heidelberg, where Charlotte drifted from café to café.
Lithuania’s capital was the 2009 European Culture Capital and you can sense with every step and every turn why. It is at once historic, baroque, a little bit nuts, and hip and trendy! Vilnius is young Europe but with its own unique personality traits.
It only takes about a half hour’s drive from the Vilnius city center to reach Trakai and its fairytale water castle.
Wander through the picturesque Old Town of Vilnius, let yourself be pulled along by the urban scene, take a break in a street cafe and watch the coming and going, then maybe visit a museum or one of the many churches. All this is pretty natural urban enjoyment, but there are some additional things that, in my opinion, are fun to do. And here they are:
“Wow! There really are many great, “under-discovered” spots in this world of ours.” That was the brief note I received from a friend after I had euphorically sent out a plethora of pictures that I had taken in Lithuania’s capital city.
South Tyrol’s provincial capital radiates a straightforward warm-heartedness. Italian “dolce vita” and German thoroughness go hand in hand here. You have the picture-perfect Old Town to explore; churches, castles, and museums await your visit. Here are six tips for activities (with Google map) that I enjoyed and think you might, too.
Longing for spring and curious about where my ancestors came from, upon being opportunely invited by Booking South Tyrol www.bookingsouthtyrol.com, the independent online booking platform of the South Tyrol Hoteliers and Restaurant Owners Association (HGV), I head south to visit South Tyrol’s provincial capital Bolzano, the Sarntal (Sarn Valley), and St. Ulrich in the Grödental (Gröden Valley).
In our Swiss latitudes, February would be ideal for a stay in our snowed-in mountains. But for his impending 50th birthday, Walter wanted to be in Venice. February in Venice? Really?
The Swissôtel Dresden am Schloss was my home for the duration of my three-day Dresden visit. I have to confess that I slept better there than in my own bed. What better testimonial for a hotel could you wish for?
In Dresden, I encountered a proud, historic city with folksy inhabitants and imposing baroque architecture decked out for Christmas. 800 years old, rebuilt and vibrant today, this compact city is also known as the “Florence on the Elbe.”
The classic answer to the question “What are the must-see attractions in Dresden?” normally goes something like this: The baroque Frauenkirche church, the Semperoper opera house, the Residenzschloss ducal palace with its Grünes Gewölbe treasure vault, the Gemäldegalerie art museum, the rococo Zwinger palace and the Elbe river that flows through the city known as the “Florence on the Elbe.”
There are famous Christmas markets aplenty in Germany. First documented in 1434, Dresden’s Striezelmarkt is definitely one of the oldest — and rightfully renowned as one of the country’s most beautiful Christmas markets. Catch it now, it’s only open until December 24!