Popular Destinations

Introducing Mumbai:

The megalopolis that is Mumbai today, the largest city in India, home of Bollywood and to over 15 million people that can trace their ancestry from the four corners of the sub continent, started as seven separate islands on the Arabian sea, just off the Konkan coast. These seven islands had been inhabited for millennia when the local ruler of the Maurya Empire turned them into a center for Buddhist and Hindu learning around 300 B.C. The island’s path into becoming a Megalopolis gets a jump start when the Portuguese arrived in 1498 and took over from the Sultan of Gujarat. The Portuguese built a fort and a church (which survives to this day) and gave the city its name: Bombay, some say that it means Good Bay in Portuguese, but this would be grammatically incorrect in the Portuguese language (Boa Bahia would be correct) so more than likely it was a transliteration of the Koli goddess Mumbadevi, a revered local deity.

The British took over the islands in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. The seven islands of Bombay remained a backwater until the British crown leased them to the British East India Company in 1668 for 10 pounds per year. During the 18th century the British traders built docks and trading houses and causeways that united the islands, eventually turning them into one large island by 1835. Bombay boomed during the 19th century due to the American Civil War having forced the world production and trade of cotton to be moved to India, as well as the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, making Bombay the most important port on the Arabian Sea.

The boom of the 19th century also bought waves of immigration from within India, some founded factories and trading houses and others came to labor. Each wave of new immigrants gave form to the different neighborhoods of the present megalopolis. They say that the seeds of Indian independence were planted in Bombay, due to the large amount of Maharati speaking immigrants who later founded the Indian National Congress, one of the primary political forces against British Rule. Bombay was the setting to several incidents against the British Raj rule until India gained independence in 1947. Bombay’s name was changed to Mumbai in 1996 and today, Mumbai is considered a tolerant Megalopolis where all of India’s ethnic groups are represented and live together in the capital of Bollywood.

Getting Around:

Mumbai is served by Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the principal gateways to India. Mumbai has one of the world’s best natural harbors and its port handles cruise ships, ferries and cargo ships. The city is served by 4 main train stations that cover the entire sub continent, including the beautiful Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Formerly Victoria Terminus), featured in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Get around by taxi, or catch the local subway. You can get on a moped powered rickshaw for some fun driving in the Mumbai traffic.

Things To Do:

Mumbai endures you with a lot of must-see attractions that will make your stay the most memorable and joyful experience. Let’s take a look at few of the Mumbai attractions:

The Gateway of India, The Taj Mahal Hotel, Hanging Garden, The religious places: Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Mahalaxmi Temple, Tardeo Agiary Parsi Temple and Shri Swaminarayan Temple, The exotic Beaches: Juhu Beach and Kashid Beach beside the Chowpatty are flocked by people where they come to feast on the delicious Mumbai Chats. You can also take a Gateway ferry ride, visit forts, shopping bazaars, the most popular Essel World amusement park and ancient caves like Elephanta Cave.

Mumbai Climate:

Mumbai lies near the Arabian Sea and the climate is normally wet and dry. There are two clear seasons – Humid and Dry season. The humid weather is between the month of March and October. The humidity level can rise up to 30 °C (86 °F) and over. Between the months of June and September, the city experiences heavy rains. The dry season is between the months of November to February which is characterized by moderate levels of humidity and warm/cool weather.

Hotel Accommodation:

Mumbai is a home for some of the finest luxury hotels and budget hotels that offer impeccable hospitality services. The hotel packages have been designed keeping in mind the needs of the travelers. Most of the hotels also provide car rental services to important tourist destinations.

Introducing Shanghai:

Shanghai is the largest and most populous city in China, with over 20 milling inhabitants, making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Shanghai today is a modern cosmopolitan city with a 21st century skyline, a charming old town and one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world, hailing from the European and American commercial concessions of the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, a once sleepy fishing village by the sea (the two Chinese characters that make the name Shang Hay, literally mean ‘By the Sea’ or ‘Upon the Sea’) was opened to trade with the West after the treaty of Nanking in 1842. The city grew and prospered during the second half of the 19th century and the foreign traders negotiated the creation of several Concessions, the most famous been the French, American and a British concessions, but Shanghai also harbored a large number of White Russians, Germans and European Jews. The large amount of European traders and refugees during the 1930’s gave the city the feel and look of a European metropolis with many Art Deco buildings along the waterfront (the Bund) and European style homes, notably inside the French concessions, giving the city the Nickname of the ‘Paris of the East’ or the “Pearl of the Orient”.

Shanghai was the scene of several bloody battles during the 1930’s, starting with the so called ‘Incidents’ of the Sino-Japanese war and culminating with the Japanese Army taking complete control over the entire city, including the foreign concessions by 1941. During the Japanese occupation foreign traders were sent to concentration camps and most of the factories destroyed (as seen on the movie ‘The Empire of the Sun’), but the Japanese returned the city when they surrendered unconditionally in 1947. The triumph of the communist rebels in 1949 forced the remaining foreign companies to relocate to Hong Kong and Shanghai ceased to be a global city for decades, even though it still was a mayor center of industry and learning within Communist China. The city re-opened to western investment with the economic liberalization of the early 1990’s and grew exponentially after the transfer of Hong Kong back to Chinese control. The creation of the Pudong district, across from the old Bund, marked a new era of space age towers and economic prosperity that characterized the first decade of the 21st century. Shanghai today is a vibrant cosmopolitan city that is as much a product of new China as a place with a long history that can be appreciated in the eclectic architectural mix of East and West, the old and the new, communism powered by capitalism. Shanghai is a city of the future.

Getting Around:

Shanghai is served by two airports, Pudong is the main international gateway and Hongqiao serves mostly domestic flights. Pudong Airport has a high tech mag- lev train that puts you in the city center in 7 minutes. Shanghai has two rail stations, long distance buses and ferry service to Hong Kong and Japan. Get a Shanghai Jiaotong Card valid on the metro and buses. Use the metro to get around, but each individual district is best explored by foot.

Things To Do:

Shanghai is a city of districts, check out The Bund, with its collection of waterfront Art Deco buildings dating back to the 1920’s. The French concession district preserves some of the palatial mansions of the French traders. Jade Buddha Temple, located in the western part of Shanghai, was built more than 100 years back and today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations. You can visit Shanghai Museum to learn more about the history of the city. This ultra-modern building is filled with treasures and art-work and it is definitely worth a visit. Nanjing Road is a great pedestrian shopping district with three kilometer stretch of shops, cafes and restaurants.

Shanghai Climate:

Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate and has four distinct seasons. Shanghai’s summers are very hot and humid. July and August are the hottest months where the mercury can raise up to a maximum of 27.4 degrees centigrade. The months of January to early February are the months where the mercury level can dip up to 3 degrees centigrade. Shanghai receives abundant rainfall from mid June to early July. During July and September strong storms with torrential rain become frequent and the travelers are advised not to travel in these months. It seldom snows at Shanghai.

Hotel Accommodation:

You can find plenty of hotels to stay in Shanghai – from luxury stay to budget stay. Most of the hotels have a perfect blend of comfort, cozy atmosphere and impeccable service, making your holiday the most unforgettable one. Most of the hotels in Shanghai provide car rental services to important tourist attraction.

Introducing Athens:

Athens has been called the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy due to its cultural and philosophical achievements during its classical era, circa the 5th century B.C., but the city of Athens can be traced back over 4000 years when the high ground above modern Athens was settled during the Neolithic era as a fort located in the present acropolis (high city). By the Classical Period (around 500B.C.) Athens occupied an area of two kilometers that covered the present Monastiraki district, the hill of the Pnyx, and the Acropolis. The origin of the name Athens is proto-Greek, but by the classical period a myth had solidified: The citizenry held a contest between the goddess Athena and Poseidon to name the city. Poseidon struck the ground and produced a stream and Athena created an olive tree. The citizens choose Athena’s gift and named her the patron of the city. Classical Athens became one of the wealthiest city states in Greece and one of the most important centers of learning in the ancient world, with Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, and Sophocles, turning the city into a Mecca of Arts, Philosophy and science.

The Romans ruled Greece for over 500 years but allowed Athens to remain as a free city due to their admiration for Athenian schools. The city declined as a center of pagan learning once the Romans adopted Christianity, but again rose to prominence during the Byzantine period (9th to 10th century). After a period of Prosperity during the crusades, the city suffered a long period of decline under the Ottoman Empire until the wars of Independence against the Ottomans at the beginning of the 19th century, culminating with Greek independence in 1832. Athens hosted the first Olympic games of the modern Era in 1896. The population of the city swelled after the wars against the Turks in the 1920’s and after World War II. By the 1980’s vehicular congestion and factories contributed to air pollution and congestion problems, so the city decided to close or move factories and to start building the Athens Subway. The excavations for the subway revealed several archeological treasures and the city had cleaned up significantly by the time Athens hosted the Summer Olympic Games of 2004. Athens today is a treat for the traveler, with over 3000 years of visible history from the Acropolis, from classical Greek temples to Ottoman and Byzantine buildings, dotted with trendy lounges and cafés, Athens is a charming, modern metropolis that should not be missed.

Getting Around:

Athens is served by The new Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, opened in 2001 as part of the city improvements for the 2004 Olympics and considered one of the most efficient airports in Europe. A central rail station connects Athens with Thessaloniki and Istanbul and also with Eastern Europe. Rail service in Greece is basic compared to the rest of Europe. Athens is a mayor port, offering ferries to all the mayor islands in the Aegean Sea and cruise ships to Europe and Africa. Long distance buses serve the capital and cover all destinations on mainland Greece. Once you arrive, use the modern metro, including the Airport line to the city center.

Things To Do:

Athens is a great place to explore by foot, start at the highest point (Acropolis) and work your way downhill, following the newly developed archeological walk that connects the Acropolis with several quaint districts further downhill. The acropolis was the site of the original bronze era fort and home of the most famous classical monuments in Athens, such as the Parthenon, the Erectheion and the Temple of Athena Nike (the goddess of Victory and Athena’s last name, not the shoe). Don’t miss the new Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, at the foot of the Acropolis rock, offering artifacts from all the eras of the Acropolis. Visit the Ancient Agora, a beautiful green space, dotted with temples and offering excellent views of the Acropolis. Lycabettus Hill for amazing views of the city. Visit the Plaka or the Kolonaki district for shopping and cafés. Have a souvlaki, a Greek traditional sandwich and then hit the town at night, Greeks like to party and to sip ouzo, you will find many discos and pubs in the center of Athens and also in the coastal zone. Have a drink in the waterfront district of Glyfada, home to some of the best night clubs in Athens, including Balux, waterfront nightclub and lounge.

Athens Climate:

Athens has long warm summers that begins from May and lasts till late September. It has short but significant winters lasting from late November until early March. The monsoon season begins from the month of October to mid April. Spring time i.e. from June- September is the best time to visit Athens.

Hotel Accommodation:

There are more than 300 hotels in the Greater Athens metropolitan area, ranging from low-budget hotels to mid-range hotels to luxury hotel stay. These hotels also have the car-rental services that will take you around the city.

Introducing Madrid:

Madrid is the largest city of the Iberian Peninsula and the third largest of the European Union. The region of Madrid had been inhabited by several Ibero - Celtic tribes by the times the Romans settled on the banks of the Manzanares River. The Romans called their settlement Matrice. The Visigoths overran the Romans in the 5th century and they were subsequently removed by the Moors in the 7th century, calling their settlement: al-Majriṭ. By the 9th century the Moors had built a citadel in the current location of the Royal Palace. The Arabic name evolved into the current spelling Madrid. The Moors were expelled during the re-conquest of 1085 and the citadel’s mosque re-consecrated as the church of the Virgin of Almudena. The Medieval coat of arms of Madrid was a bear shaking a Madroño Tree and this symbol survives to this day as the official logo of Madrid’s City Hall. During the middle ages, the Spanish court moved around the country and first settled in Madrid in 1329 to advice Alfoso XI of Castille. The ascension of Isabella of Castile and Fernando of Aragon consolidated the Spanish monarchy centered on Toledo and Aragon. It wasn’t until 1561 that Madrid became the de facto capital. Commerce with the colonies of the vast Spanish Empire continued to be run from Seville, but Madrid ruled Seville. During the 16th and 17th century, the economy of Madrid was dominated by the business of the court and did not boom with other commercial activities.

By the late 1800’s Queen Isabel II could not contain internal political tensions and the monarchy was overthrown, followed by the short lived First Spanish Republic which was followed by a return of the monarchy and another abdication that created the second Spanish Republic. This was the republic that entered into the Spanish Civil war in 1936. The civil war pitted the republicans, anarchists and communists against monarchists and fascists and Madrid became the first city to suffer an aerial bombardment courtesy of the Luftwaffe, who was allied with the fascist side. Madrid saw bitter battles inside its suburbs until the republicans abdicated and the victorious fascists named General Franco as ruler of Spain for life (Caudillo de Espana). Franco restored the monarchy with himself as Generalisimo but left the Spanish throne vacant. By 1969 Franco had ruled for 30 years and decided to designate the son of a Carlist claimant to the crown, Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón, as Prince of Spain and his legitimate heir. Franco died in 1975 at the age 82 and the new King Don Juan oversaw the transition of Spain from dictatorship to a parliamentary democracy.

Spain flourished after Franco and by the early 1980’s Madrid was going through a cultural renaissance called La Movida Madrileña, a countercultural movement based around nightlife, cinema and art that gave us the movies of Pedro Almodovar and the art-pop music of Mecano. The principal idea of the Movida was to reject all the values of the Franco generation and to adopt the look and feel of the British New Wave acts and the emerging gay culture. You can still see aspects of La Movida in the Chueca district of Madrid, considered one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Madrid and center of the city’s gay nightlife. Other happening districts of Madrid are La Latina and Lavapies near the Plaza Mayor and the more up market Castellana and Torre mayor. But Madrid is a lot more than fantastic nightlife; the food is amazing, start with tapas and a Serrano ham in Museo del Jamon. Go for tapas and Cava (Spanish bubbly) in the La Latina area or around Puerta del Sol and save some energy for a daytime stroll along La Gran Via avenue and in the beautiful El Retiro Park. Get lost inside the Museo del Prado with its amazing collection of Spanish Masters, including Goya and El Greco.

Getting Around:

Madrid is served by Madrid Barajas international airport. Madrid’s Atocha rain station is the central hub of the Spanish rail network. Eight long distance bus stations are scattered around the city and serve all of Spain and Europe. Use Madrid’s clean and efficient subway to get around the city and walk within each individual district.

Things To Do:

Madrileños do not go out to eat earlier than 9pm and are very fond of Mariscadas (Mixed Seafood Platter). The best seafood in Spain is found in Madrid and since most of the seafood comes from Galician shores, look out for Gallego style restaurants for the best Mariscada in the city. Tapas bars abound around the La Latina area and Paella is easily found around the Puerta del Sol area. Go to a Valencia style restaurant for the best Paellas. Hit the Chueca or La Latina district for wild nightlife and have the traditional deep fried Churros dipped in hot chocolate for a hangover curing breakfast at dawn. Visit Museum triangle next to el Retiro Park including the famous Museo del Prado and Reina Sofia Museum. Check out the Palacio Real and its gilded rooms. Madrid is a city of Plazas, some of them are full of bars, cafés and restaurants and offer round the clock fun; start with Plaza Mayor and its tapas bars and Spanish eateries, then hit La Puerta del Sol, under the Tio Pepe sign for more Bars and restaurants, the 16th century style Plaza de la Paja, the Plaza de Cibeles and its beautiful city hall , Plaza de España with Cervate’s statue and the Templo de Debod, a real Egyptian temple in the middle of Parque de los Rosales, the best place to watch the sunset in Madrid.

Madrid Climate:

Madrid enjoys Continental Mediterranean climate with warm summers and cool winters. The hottest months are July and August and it is not advisable for tourists to visit Madrid during these seasons. The months of May, June, September and early October experiences warm temperature. Winters in Madrid are very cold and the mercury level rarely dips below the freezing point. Rainfall in Madrid is rare, with a short rainy season in late October and a little shower in spring.

Hotel Accommodation:

Madrid offers all the tourists a full range of hotel accommodation options – from luxury five star hotels to budget hotels. The hotel packages have been designed keeping in mind the needs of the travelers. Most of the hotels also provide car rental services to important tourist destinations.

Introducing Barcelona:

Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city and some might say it’s most cosmopolitan; it is the Capital of Catalonia, a unique cultural region within Spain, with its own language, arts and cuisine. Barcelona has wide, Paris style avenues and many surrealist architectural details, crowned by the unfinished Gothic-surrealist masterpiece of the Sagrada Familia Temple, designed by Antonio Gaudi. The names Barcelona derives from the Phoenician word Barkeno. The Romans created a fortified town there in the 15th century and the city was subsequently taken over by several different invaders, including the Moors until Barcelona was re-conquered in 1801 by Charlemagne’s son. Charlemagne’s Dukes eventually allied with the Aragonese to create the crown of Aragon, which at its height in the 14th and 15th centuries, occupied large areas of the western Mediterranean, including the Balearic Islands, Sicily and southern Italy. During the Franco dictatorship, Catalonians were not allowed to speak Catalan and their culture was suppressed. One of the most unique aspects of visiting Spain today, is to be immersed in the wonderful cocktail of its regional dialects, so enjoy the Catalonian language, its Cuisine and Arts: Visit the Picasso Museum; take the cable car up to Pueblo Espanol on Montjuig hill, built for the world fair of 1929, a of theme park of all the villages of Spain and their contrasting architecture. Walk along the Ramblas, one of the most pleasant pedestrian boulevards in the world, ending in Barcelona’s beautiful port and Marina, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, with an IMAX theatre, a multi story shopping mall with open air discos and bars.

The Transmeditteranea ferries to the Balearic Islands also depart from this port. Walk along the waterfront and admire Columbus’s pillar and the wavy Rambla del mar Jetty. Further up the coast you will reach the ultra modern Olympic villa and marina, built for the 1992 Summer Olympics, turned into a high tech dinning arcade with café’s and restaurant offering wonderful views of the marina and Barceloneta beach. Hit the Barri Gotic for a late evening meal and bars but save some energy for a drive north along the Costa Brava, a twisting 92 mile stretch of rocky coast and craggy aquamarine coves heading towards the French Border, home of El Buli, mani times voted the best restaurant in the world.

Getting Around:

Barcelona is served by Barcelona El Prat International Airport. Its massive port connects it with the Mediterranean and the rest of the world. A modern bus station connects the city with all mayor towns in Spain and its train station offers overnight long distance trains to Spain and France, the speed train and many local commuter rail lines. Inside the city you can get around using its super efficient Metro and each district can be easily explored by foot individually, specially the Barri Gotic, Las Ramblas and Port Olimpic.

Things To Do:

Take the cable car to Montjuit for the Pueblos de Espana Park and the sweeping views of the city. Visit the UNESCO site of Park Guell, a garden in the sky designed by Antonio Gaudi, with intricate surrealist architecture and great views of the city. Visit the Sagrada Famila Temple, a symbol of Barcelona and Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece. Go to Barceloneta beach, just off Port Olimpic for beach frolics in the sun. Hit the town in the evening, discos and restaurants abound in the Maremagnum pier and in and around the Bari Gotic.

To best way to explore the city’s best attractions is to rent a car. Discover the real Barcelona by driving around and stop over where ever you wish to. No schedules to follow!

Barcelona Climate:

Barcelona has Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild winters. The hottest month is August where the mercury can rise up to 35 degree Celsius and the humidity levels can raise up to 70%. January is the coldest month where the temperature can dip up to 10 degree Celsius. The rainy seasons are normally in between autumn and spring. The best time to visit Barcelona is during the autumn where you will experience the perfect blend of sunny climate with occasional rains.

Hotel Accommodation:

From low-budget accommodation to five-star accommodation, Barcelona offers all the tourists a variety of lodging options that suit everyone’s choice, needs and pockets.

Introducing Rome:

Rome is the capital of Italy and the largest city on the Italian peninsula and has been a crucial city in western culture and history for over two and a half thousand years. Founded by Etruscan and Greeks, around 875 B.C, Rome grew to be the capital of the Roman Empire, an empire that encompassed the entire Mediterranean basin, including North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Northern Europe, including two thirds of the island of Britain and large swaths of Western Germany. Rome and the Roman Empire also had a huge influence in Christianity becoming the dominant religion in Europe when the Roman emperor Constantine decided to adopt Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, supplanting countless pagan religions from all over Europe. The city of Rome lost influence with the decline of the Roman Empire and subsequent split into Eastern and Western halves and by the Middle ages even the papacy had moved to Avignon due to constant outbreaks of Malaria in the city of Rome.

The Italian Renaissance was good for Rome, giving it some of its most beautiful monuments, including the Piazza navonna and Michelangelo’s the crowning achievement: The frescoes on the roof of the Sistine Chappell. Rome became a focus point for Italian unification during the 19th century and was largely untouched by both world wars of the 20th century, leading to a new renaissance during the 1950’s and 60’s, the time of “la Dolche Vita” and Vespas, as seen on “Roman Holyday”, making Rome of the premier tourist attractions in Europe. Visit the Ruins of the Old Roman Forum and the Coliseum, and then enter Vatican city, an independent city state inside of Rome, to admire Michelangelo’s frescoes and the grandeur of the Papacy. Walk the quaint campo del fiori square, with its open air Café’s, bars and flower market, make a wish on the Fontana di trevy , step on the Spanish Steps, walk along the Tiber River. Dine al fresco in one of Rome’s piazzas and order a Pizza, gelato and capuchino, finished off with an amaretto.

Getting Around:

Rome is served by Leonardo da Vinchi international airport and Ciampino, a smaller, regional and low cost airport served by Ryanair. In the city, you can take the Metro or Rome’s efficient Bus system. The Rome Termini Rail station connects with the rest of Italy and Europe. The Port of Civitavecchia is approximately 2 hours by train from Rome Termini station, offering Ferries to all Mediterranean destinations, including North Africa. Long Distance Busies also serve the city.

Things To Do:

Simply walking around Rome is a wonderfully gratifying experience as the city is an open air Museum with over 2500 years of History; on a short walk you would be able to admire the ancient Roman Forum and the Coliseum, not far from the Renaissance masterpiece of Piazza navona. The Vatican is a short Bus drive away and the quaint Plazas and cafe’s are best explored on foot. Rent a vespa and play “Roman Holyday” for a day.

The central area of Rome can be explored easily by foot. But trekking around the streets may be exhausting. You can either opt for a public transport or rent a car. These car rental services take you to the most exclusive tourist destinations.

Rome Climate:

Rome enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. Summers in Rome are very hot and the temperature can exceed up to 35°C and the city shuts down their business during the month of August to take a vacation to cooler destinations. Winters are normally mild and pleasant and the average temperature in the month of December is close to 13°C. Spring season is the best time to visit Rome when the days are warm with mild showers in between.

Hotel Accommodation:

Rome is a city which is rich in its culture, history, art, tourism and entertainment. The city attracts millions of people across the world, throughout the year. There are plenty of hotels and accommodation of all price range can be found in Rome – from luxury stay to budget stay. Despite ample options, it’s not easy to find hotels without prior booking. So, ensure that the reservation is made in advance.

Introducing Frankfurt:

The Fort of the Franks on the Main River (Frankfurt am Main) is the financial hub of continental Europe and it has the European Union’s tallest skyscrapers and the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Trade Fair. Frankfurt is also a major transportation hub, with Frankfurt Airport being the busiest airports in the World, Frankfurt’s Rail Station the busiest in Germany and the Frankfurt’s Autobahn interchange is the busiest in continental Europe. Frankfurt is one of only 3 cities in Europe to offer a skyline of skyscrapers, including two of the tallest skyscrapers in the European Union: The Commerzbank Tower and The Messeturm. Frankfurt wasn’t always at the Epicenter of Europe, during Roman Times it was at the edge of an Empire, a tiny Roman settlement marking a border with Barbarian tribes. Charlemagne included Frankfurt in his imperial assembly, becoming one of the most important cities during the Germanic Holy Roman Empire, as the place where the German Kings and Emperors were elected. From 1562, German kings and Emperors were also crowned in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt Messe or trade fair dates back to 1150 and book fares have been held in Frankfurt since 1478. Frankfurt was heavily bombed during World War II, destroying what had been the largest medieval old town in Western Europe. The city was rebuilt in a modern style, forever changing the face of Frankfurt into a skyline of tall glass buildings. An approximation of the 14th century old town was rebuilt during the early 1980’s around Römerberg square, marking the center of the city with quaint houses and most of the original 14th century church.

Getting Around:

Frankfurt is served by Frankfurt international airport, the busiest in continental Europe. Tree mayor rail stations a bus terminus and several autobahns that connect it with the rest of Germany. Once in the city take the S-Bahn metro system.

Things To Do:

Some of the main tourist attractions of Frankfurt include:

Saint Bartholomeus’ Cathedral is a Gothic architecture and one of the main churches of Frankfurt. This was built between 14th and 15th centuries and it was named as Church in the 18th century by the locals.

Roemer, the City Hall is one of the most important landmarks of the city.

Museums: The museums in Frankfurt are located on both the sides of the main river and the area is popularly known as Museumsufer (Museums Riverbank). The popular museums in this area are: Museum of Applied Arts and Stadel, Schirn Art Gallery. These museums’s exhibit a variety of decorative arts, paintings, graphical collection of drawings, sculptures. Senckenberg Museum is the largest museum in Germany and it displays a huge collection if dinosaur skeletons in Europe

You can visit the historical buildings like the Old Opera House, Frankfurt Opera House, Heidelbeg castle, Frankfurt Zoo and hundreds of old churches.

Frankfurt Climate:

You will experience moderately humid climate with rain distributed evenly throughout the year. Summers in Frankfurt are usually hot and sunny where the temperature can raise up to 32 degrees Celsius. Winters are very cold and cloudy. January is the coldest month where the temperature ranges between -10 and 10 degrees Celsius.

Hotel Accommodation:

There are plenty of hotel accommodations from luxury to mid-range to budget accommodation. Most of the hotels have tie-up with the car rental services that take you around to the city’s most popular destinations.

Introducing Amsterdam:

The city of the dam on the Amstel River: Amsterdam is a traveler’s treat, with unique architecture, historic canals, wonderful shopping and friendly locals that can speak English very well. There is something for every traveler here; from the world famous cannabis coffee shops’ and the glass doors of The De Wallen Red Light District, to the more dignified air of the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House. Old Amsterdam is a 2 kilometer semicircle, emanating from the central station and most of the buildings inside the semicircle have remained untouched since the 1860’s. Most of the hotels and major tourists’ attractions are located within the city or just nearby. Amsterdam is a relatively new city, the first mention of it in the records dates to 1275, when a bridge and a dam were constructed over the Amstel River. The current Old Town was built over land that had been reclaimed from the sea during the 10th century as a source of peat. Amsterdam was granted city rights in 1300 and soon flourished by trading with the Hanseatic League.

Originally a part of Frisia, Amsterdam was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire and eventually abdicated to the Burundian Kings until the Dutch rebellion of the Eight Year War. The deposing of the Spanish king and the creation of the Dutch republic in 1648 harbored a Dutch golden era of trade and commerce and Amsterdam became the richest city in the world. Known for its religious tolerance, Amsterdam welcomed the religiously persecuted community of Europe: Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Huguenots from France, and even the English Puritan Separatists Pilgrims, who financed the voyage of the Mayflower to America with Dutch merchants in Amsterdam. The heavy influx of Flemish painters and thinkers powered this golden age and Amsterdam became a center of free trade and free press. Merchant ships left Amsterdam throughout the 1600’s to trade in the far corners of the world and many of these distant trading posts became Dutch colonies: Indonesia, Surinam, the A B C Islands and others. The second half of the 19th century is called Amsterdam’s second golden era; The canals were expanded and most of the buildings currently standing inside the old town hail from this time, mixed in with several guild trading houses from the 17th century. Today Amsterdam still enjoys the same reputation of tolerance and free commerce that made it a magnet of trade since the 1600’s; with flourishing stock exchange and the headquarters of many Dutch corporations, including Phillips, ING Group, ABN AMRO and Heineken.

Getting Around:

Amsterdam is served by Schiphol International Airport, one of the world’s busiest. Amsterdam’s central station is a focal point of the Old town. Most locals get around either on foot or by bicycle. There is a tram and a small section of subway that serves the old town but a boat ride on the canals is a fun way to get around. Some locals actually live on their boats or use them to go grocery shopping and to go out to restaurants in the evening. Boat rentals are available in several locations within the old town.

Things To Do:

Visit the Anne Frank House & the Dutch Resistance Museum for a glimpse at the sufferings of the Jewish population and the brave citizens of Amsterdam that dared to help them during the brutal Nazi occupation. Visit The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum for the Dutch Masters and also the Sex Museum and the Cannabis Museum, this is Amsterdam after all. The Canal Bus Boat is a must; it stops at most of the major tourist attractions.

You can explore the countryside by renting a car. There are plenty of car rental services which include the major car rental agencies like Avis, Hertz, Budget, Europcar etc.

Amsterdam Climate:

Amsterdam’s climate is very similar to the climate in Britain or Ireland which combines mildness and dampness with occasional continental climate that is experienced in Germany. The best time to visit Amsterdam is from April to September when the days are longer and temperatures are milder when compared to the other months. December to March are the coldest months and you might unlikely experience snow. It is advised to carry rainwear and umbrellas at all times.

Hotel Accommodation:

There are thousands of tourists visiting Amsterdam from all over the world with varying budgets. Amsterdam offers hotels ranging from low budget to luxury hotels. For visitors who don’t mind splurging cash on luxury hotels then Amstel InterContinental is the place to be. It is one of the most luxurious and the most expensive hotels of all.

Introducing London:

Traces of Roman London are still clearly visible above ground by Tower Bridge Tube Station, where they have preserved a few feet of the old Roman wall that used to surround the garrison of Londinium. The old Roman wall protected its Mediterranean soldiers from Celtic barbarians that hid in the mists and bogs of a cold, alien island on the fringes of an empire. From this ancient Roman garrison, sprung a lively medieval settlement, centered in an area currently called the ‘City of London’, and today you can stand above Tower Bridge Tube Station and be literally surrounded by over 2000 years of visible history: From the Medieval rock walls of The Tower of London, to the Victorian ironworks of Tower Bridge, to the glass towers of 21rst century stock trading houses and the sleek lines of the millennium bridge, to the Renaissance styled dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and back to the old walls of the ancient Roman trading post. It’s this very center of commerce, culture and history that gives us a West End and an East End, as the rest of London takes its cue from ‘The City’: Centered between iconic Tower Bridge and the current London Bridge (the original London Bridge was sold to the Americans and now resides in the middle of the Arizona desert).

Getting Around:

London is served by 5 international airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stansted & Luton, all connected to the city center by express rail lines. Once in town, get an Oyster card, valid in for all London Transit: The Underground, Buses, Light Rail and some boats on the Thames River.

Things To Do:

You will never get bored in London: From West End shows like ‘Mamma Mia’ & ‘Avenue Q’, to world class free museums like the British Museum and the National Gallery, to historical walks around Whitehall, the City and on its many famous lanes like Carnaby St, Bond St, Fleet St, Abbey Road, Park Lane etc. Partake in London’s multi ethnic melting pot with a visit to an Irish or Australian pub, followed by a spicy curry or a falafel and then head down to the famous Marquee Club or up to Camden Town to catch famous bands play live inside intimate venues. There is a London for everyone. The best way to explore London is to rent a car. There are plenty of car rental services available that take you to the most exclusive destinations of the city.

London Climate:

London has a moderate marine climate and it rarely experiences extremely high or low temperature. Summers are normally warm and the temperature can vary anywhere between 21 °C to 24 °C during the day time and 11 °C-14 °C during nights. Winters in London are very cold but rarely reaching below the freezing point. You will experience mild days and relatively cooler evenings during spring and unbearable cold breeze during autumns.

Hotel Accommodation:

There are five major attractions in the city: Mayfair & Marylebone, Paddington & Bayswater, Notting Hill, Knightsbridge & South Kensington, and Covent Garden & Bloomsbury. There are plenty of hotels available that range from the most expensive stay to low-budget stay.

Introducing Paris:

Paris is a city of contrasting districts and wide boulevards, bisected by the seine river, crowned by the hill of Montmartre and adorned with one of the most photographed structures in Europe: The Eiffel tower. The City of Paris gets its name from the Celtic Gallic tribe called the Parisii of Gaul who inhabited an island on the River Seine and fought against Julius Caesar’s Roman armies who occupied and fortified their island (known today as Île de la Cité, the old Roman walls are still visible under Notre Dame Cathedral). A medieval city grew out of the Roman fort and eventually expanded into a metropolitan region of over 11 million inhabitants. Some of the original medieval buildings of Île de la Cité remain, including Notre Dame Cathedral, La Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie prison, known as the antechamber of the guillotine during the French revolution and counting Marie Antoinette among its many illustrious guests. Paris is divided into 20 districts or arrondissement, distributed in a clockwise spiral from the center of Île de la Cité. Kilometer cero starts in front of Notre Dame Cathedral and marks the first and 4th arrondissement. It is recommended to explore Paris by districts (arrondissement), as each one offers a unique charm.

First Arrondissement: this is a great district to start your explorations of Paris; it includes the Louvre Museum, the Sainte Chapelle, the Jardin des Tuileries and the Palais Royal. This central area is best explored by foot as it is varied and compact. One of the best ways to get an overview of Paris is to jump on one of the Bateaux Mouches boats that glide along the Seine. Take a night cruise and you will understand why Paris is called the city of light, when you see the Eiffel tower glittering with multiple lights.

Left Bank or Rive Gauche: This was the epicenter of 1920’s bohemian Paris, when artists and ex-pats gathered around outdoor cafés in the Montparnasse area, best described by one of its regulars: Ernest Hemingway. An area of the left bank close to La Sorbonne University became known as the Latin Quarter because education was dictated in Latin during medieval times. The Institute Pasteur is another left bank landmark, not far from the entrance to the catacombs of Paris, its somber tunnels and ossuaries are described in Les Misérables and other works of literature.

8th Arrondissement: Includes the Arc de Triomphe and the iconic Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

7th Arrondissement: Home of the Eifel tower, the once reviled and now the best known landmark of Paris and the world famous Musée d’Orsay .

La Défense: The district of La Défense is not officially inside the city of Paris, but its proximity provides a sharp contrast: A collection of ultra modern architecture, including the Arch de la defense that uses the neo-classical lines of the Arc de Triomphe and turns it into a space age version.

20th Arrondissement: Includes Pere Lachaise cemetery, where many of France’s famous artists are buried, including Jim Morrison, Chopin, Molliere and Edit Piaf.

The 18th Arrondissement: is best known for the Hill of Montmatre, crowned with the white stones of the Sacre Coer Basilica and the statue of Joan of Arc and offering sweeping views of the city. The 18th district is also known for its painters, picturesque side streets, steep steps and the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in the bustling bohemian enclave of Pigalle.

11th Arrondissement: This district includes the most happening nightlife in Paris today, centered around Place de La Bastille and along Rue Oberkampf. If Hemmingway visited Paris today, he would hang out in the Café’s north of Bastille.

12th and 16th Arrondissements: Include large parks; the Bois de Vincennes, and the famous Bois de Boulogne, visible from the Eiffel tower.

Versailles: Just to the west of Paris is Versailles, a visit to the palace is a must, with opulent gardens and magnificent mirrored halls, you can almost hear Maria Antoinette proclaim: “Let them eat cake!”

Getting Around:

Paris is served by two mayor international airports, Orly and Charles de Gaulle plus a smaller domestic airport that receives low cost international flights called Beauvais. Six rail stations connect the city with the rest of Europe, including Gare du Nord, home of the Eurostar Chunnel train to London and Brussels and the Thalys speed train to Amsterdam and Brussels. Other stations offer TGV fast train service to Germany, Spain and the South of France and several long distance overnight trains to Italy and beyond. Once inside the city, the best way to get around is by subway, buy a one day or a five day ticket for convenience. Each one of Paris’s individual districts are best explored by foot, pushbikes are available for rent from automated stations that are strategically spaced 25 minutes apart so that you can get from one district to another and return the bike for more explorations on foot.

Things To Do:

Paris is a state of mind, pick your favorite districts and simple walk and immerse yourself in the culture, from sidewalks café’s to the Buddha bar, from Pere Lachaise to the catacombs, from the arch de triumph to the arch de la defense, from the Louvre to the Musée d’Orsay from Montparnasse to Bastille, from the top of Montmartre, to the top of the Eiffel tower, we will always have Paris. There are plenty of car rental services available in Paris. You can rent a car that takes you around the most exquisite places in the city.

Paris Climate:

Paris is known for its unexpected rainfall that can occur at any time of the year. The temperature in summer is usually warm with occasional heat waves and winters are bitter cold with temperatures close to freezing point. The best time to visit Paris is around the spring when you feel that the city is reborn with fresh flower blossoms and green leaves which enhances the beauty of the city.

Hotel Accommodation:

Paris has plenty of splendid hotels that symbolize French-style elegance and offer impeccable hospitality services. The hotel packages have been designed keeping in mind the needs of the travelers. Most of the hotels also provide car rental services to important tourist destinations.