Because London is recognized as a world-class destination for theater, shopping, dining, history and art, it's often overlooked as a family vacation destination. But with a wide range of family-friendly hotels in London - and exciting attractions for kids of all ages, it really can be a fantastic vacation spot for even the littlest ones in your brood. All it takes is a bit of planning and a few well-chosen attractions. Here are a few ideas to help get your trip off on the right foot:
• London Zoo. Set on 36 acres, the London Zoo is changing the way people experience nature in London. Through its unique approach to creating interactive, immersive exhibits, visitors can get closer than they ever thought possible to more than 12,000 animals in 750 species, including African gorillas, meerkats, butterflies, Galapagos tortoises, pygmy marmosets and red titi monkeys.
• Sadler's Wells. Introduce your kids to the London theater scene at Sadler's Wells. Just minutes from many hotels in London, this unique, kid-friendly dance hall hosts productions by everyone from internationally renowned ballet companies to the legendary Shaloin Monks. You'll even find modern dance, flamenco and tango performances from some of the world's best dancers.
• Hampton Court Palace. Next to the River Thames, Henry VIII's stunning palace is located in East Molesey, Surrey - and can be easily reached by car, train or bus. Here, families can explore the famous Hampton Court Palace Maze, take a ghostly tour of the palace, see The Chapel Royal and tour England's "last and greatest medieval hall."
• Thames RIB Experience. For full-throttle excitement, book a Thames RIB experience and discover some of the city's most famous sights on an action-packed one-hour tour of the city. Once onboard the company's high-powered boat, you'll cruise past Westminster, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, The Strand, Trafalgar Square and more.
• Hyde Park. With 350 acres of space to roam, plus horseback riding, tennis, playgrounds, skating, boating and swimming, families can spend days exploring all that Hyde Park has to offer. And because it's so near to many hotels in London, if your kids need to go back to your room to change their clothes or grab their cameras, it will probably be a quick trip there and back.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
scotland tours
Scotland has a rich heritage that can be traced back prior to the Iron Age and this culture is very much alive and flourishing wherever you go in the country. The country is split into several quite distinct regions. In the South you have the Border regions with their rolling rural landscapes, where sheep often outnumber people. Rugby is the main passion here and Border towns such as Hawick and Kelso have produced some of Scotland's most successful professional rugby stars. Moving slightly north you enter the Central Belt - where over 75% of the population actually live. The 2 major cities of Glasgow and, of course, the capital city Edinburgh, are major tourist attractions in their own right.
Edinburgh has numerous world famous tourist attractions including Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and, a more recent addition, The Scottish Parliament. Its dozens of museums, art galleries and, of course, the annual Fringe Festival - the largest arts festival in the world are major draws for visitors from all over.. Glasgow is a less well known tourist destination but has become very chic and increasingly popular in recent years largely thanks to widespread regeneration of the Clydeside area. You must see the newly regenerated riverside area and the famous Armadillo structure at the Exhibition Center if you visit the city.
Golf fanatics are, of course, well catered for with some of the world's finest golf courses located around the country. Scotland certainly has more than its fair share of world class golf courses with the Old Course at St Andrews, just north of Edinburgh and the home of golf, undoubtedly the most famous of all.
Moving further north, the cities of Dundee and Aberdeen offer a new experience. Dundee is steeped in history with the now defunct jute industry still providing a number of fascinating tourist attractions along with Captain Scotts famous vessel the Discovery moored as a permanent display in the River Tay. Aberdeen, by contrast is known as the Oil Capital of Europe and home to a very much thriving North Sea Oil industry. It is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Scotland, mainly thanks to the legacy of the early oil years and the large influx of foreign workers that this brought, and boasts a huge range of cultures, restaurants and a thriving nightlife.
The last major city in Scotland is the Capital of the Highlands, Inverness which has only recently been granted City status. Sitting at the head of the famous Loch Ness - watch out for Nessie - the worlds most famous monster - it really is the gateway to the Highlands.. Inverness has seen explosive growth in recent years but still retains a very unique 'small town' atmosphere and is a favorite stopping off point of many tourist parties en-route to the Highlands.
Edinburgh has numerous world famous tourist attractions including Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and, a more recent addition, The Scottish Parliament. Its dozens of museums, art galleries and, of course, the annual Fringe Festival - the largest arts festival in the world are major draws for visitors from all over.. Glasgow is a less well known tourist destination but has become very chic and increasingly popular in recent years largely thanks to widespread regeneration of the Clydeside area. You must see the newly regenerated riverside area and the famous Armadillo structure at the Exhibition Center if you visit the city.
Golf fanatics are, of course, well catered for with some of the world's finest golf courses located around the country. Scotland certainly has more than its fair share of world class golf courses with the Old Course at St Andrews, just north of Edinburgh and the home of golf, undoubtedly the most famous of all.
Moving further north, the cities of Dundee and Aberdeen offer a new experience. Dundee is steeped in history with the now defunct jute industry still providing a number of fascinating tourist attractions along with Captain Scotts famous vessel the Discovery moored as a permanent display in the River Tay. Aberdeen, by contrast is known as the Oil Capital of Europe and home to a very much thriving North Sea Oil industry. It is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Scotland, mainly thanks to the legacy of the early oil years and the large influx of foreign workers that this brought, and boasts a huge range of cultures, restaurants and a thriving nightlife.
The last major city in Scotland is the Capital of the Highlands, Inverness which has only recently been granted City status. Sitting at the head of the famous Loch Ness - watch out for Nessie - the worlds most famous monster - it really is the gateway to the Highlands.. Inverness has seen explosive growth in recent years but still retains a very unique 'small town' atmosphere and is a favorite stopping off point of many tourist parties en-route to the Highlands.
newyork holidays
Do you know how flexible of New York City is in the matter of providing the facilities and amenities to the visitors? New York is the marvelous place for spending the vacation peacefully. After working hard round the clock throughout the year, it is the best time to get some relief and relaxation on the vacation period. New York is for the recreational activities and it is also the place for enrichment of the culture and heritage. The world famous literary luminaries and the celebrities in the different spheres of life live in this city or they come from the different corners of the world with the sole purpose of re-filtering their tastes and updating their knowledge by coming into contact with many wonderful historical places, cultural events, entertainments, fun and sports to name few.
However, New York has also shown its expertise to offer the freebies to its beloved brothers and sisters who come from different countries and states. Now you will be able to get the wonderful freebies offer if you do extensive search in the online sites or read the magazines and journals. Read first and collect the information about the freebie offers which are given by companies and tourist agencies. There are many museums which offer the free passes to the children for visiting this historical place. You will get the chance to experience the wonder of the superb technology by visiting Sony Wonder Technology Lab. You will get permission to visit the lab without paying anything.
There are other excellent tourist spots like Rockefeller Center, Queens County Farm Museum, Union Square Green Market and many more. During the wintry seasons, you will be excited to do ice skating in Rockefeller Center. Besides these, there are also excellent historical tourist spots like Federal Hall National Memorial. It is free for all and you can feel free to enter into the main building to pay tribute to our national hero George Washington who is the founder of democracy.
Ellis Isle, the Statue of Liberty, Grant's Tomb, and Fort Wadsworth are the most marvelous historical sites which are open to the people for watching and visiting. Take time and make the proper plans and programs to utilize the golden chance to visit these tourist spots free of cost. Your family members will be fully satisfied after paying the short visits to these places which have the bright historical background.
However, New York has also shown its expertise to offer the freebies to its beloved brothers and sisters who come from different countries and states. Now you will be able to get the wonderful freebies offer if you do extensive search in the online sites or read the magazines and journals. Read first and collect the information about the freebie offers which are given by companies and tourist agencies. There are many museums which offer the free passes to the children for visiting this historical place. You will get the chance to experience the wonder of the superb technology by visiting Sony Wonder Technology Lab. You will get permission to visit the lab without paying anything.
There are other excellent tourist spots like Rockefeller Center, Queens County Farm Museum, Union Square Green Market and many more. During the wintry seasons, you will be excited to do ice skating in Rockefeller Center. Besides these, there are also excellent historical tourist spots like Federal Hall National Memorial. It is free for all and you can feel free to enter into the main building to pay tribute to our national hero George Washington who is the founder of democracy.
Ellis Isle, the Statue of Liberty, Grant's Tomb, and Fort Wadsworth are the most marvelous historical sites which are open to the people for watching and visiting. Take time and make the proper plans and programs to utilize the golden chance to visit these tourist spots free of cost. Your family members will be fully satisfied after paying the short visits to these places which have the bright historical background.
wonderful holidays in thailand
Bangkok is one of the most vibrant cities in the world. It's loud, it's noisy, it's modern and fast-moving, and at the same time it's quiet, slow and old-fashioned. It's a fusion city, a city where tradition and modernity not just meet, but mix and create something new.
It's a fascinating place. Many people who make a stopover in Bangkok for a couple of days before heading to one of the many beautiful beaches Thailand has to offer do not like it at all. All they see are decadent red-light districts, annoying traffic jams and nosy tuktuk-drivers.
But that's really just Bangkok's most outer layer - that's what is the easiest to find for a tourist who comes here. If you peel that first layer away, you will find the many other faces of Bangkok: the gentle, the kind, the cultural, the culinary, the religious and more.
Temples in Bangkok
There are so many temples in Bangkok, if you have an interest in Buddhism or religious architecture, you will love it here. The temples are built in many different styles, and the "must see" temples are the Wat Pho which features the 46 meter long reclining Buddha image and Wat Arun, which is just across the river.
Wat Trai Mit is another impressive place to see, as it houses the golden Buddha. It's the largest Buddha statue in the world made out of solid gold. And it has an mysterious history. Nobody knows for sure how old this Buddha statue is. And in fact, nobody even knew it existed until a couple of decades ago. It was once covered in plaster, probably to hide it from invading armies who where known to melt down the gold from Buddha statues. Accidentally a monk discovered that under the plaster, there was a golden Buddha, when a piece of the plaster chipped of.
Culture and History
If you want to know more about the history of Thailand and gain a better understanding of Thai culture, the National Museum is a great place to visit.
Many people also like to visit the Grand Palace, which is a huge compound that mixes architectural influences from different regions of the world.
Shopping
Seasoned shoppers love Bangkok. It's a true shoppers paradise. Do you have cash to spend? Modern shopping palaces like the Siam Paragon or Central World offer you ample opportunity to buy pretty much all the material things that one can crave for. Almost every luxury brand of the world has a flagstore at Siam Paragon, and in case you want to buy a new Lamborghini, just head to the second floor.
If you want cheap clothes and fashion accessories, you probably want to check out Pratunam, specially Platinum Mall. But Pahurat also has a lot to offer, just as Bobae.
It's a fascinating place. Many people who make a stopover in Bangkok for a couple of days before heading to one of the many beautiful beaches Thailand has to offer do not like it at all. All they see are decadent red-light districts, annoying traffic jams and nosy tuktuk-drivers.
But that's really just Bangkok's most outer layer - that's what is the easiest to find for a tourist who comes here. If you peel that first layer away, you will find the many other faces of Bangkok: the gentle, the kind, the cultural, the culinary, the religious and more.
Temples in Bangkok
There are so many temples in Bangkok, if you have an interest in Buddhism or religious architecture, you will love it here. The temples are built in many different styles, and the "must see" temples are the Wat Pho which features the 46 meter long reclining Buddha image and Wat Arun, which is just across the river.
Wat Trai Mit is another impressive place to see, as it houses the golden Buddha. It's the largest Buddha statue in the world made out of solid gold. And it has an mysterious history. Nobody knows for sure how old this Buddha statue is. And in fact, nobody even knew it existed until a couple of decades ago. It was once covered in plaster, probably to hide it from invading armies who where known to melt down the gold from Buddha statues. Accidentally a monk discovered that under the plaster, there was a golden Buddha, when a piece of the plaster chipped of.
Culture and History
If you want to know more about the history of Thailand and gain a better understanding of Thai culture, the National Museum is a great place to visit.
Many people also like to visit the Grand Palace, which is a huge compound that mixes architectural influences from different regions of the world.
Shopping
Seasoned shoppers love Bangkok. It's a true shoppers paradise. Do you have cash to spend? Modern shopping palaces like the Siam Paragon or Central World offer you ample opportunity to buy pretty much all the material things that one can crave for. Almost every luxury brand of the world has a flagstore at Siam Paragon, and in case you want to buy a new Lamborghini, just head to the second floor.
If you want cheap clothes and fashion accessories, you probably want to check out Pratunam, specially Platinum Mall. But Pahurat also has a lot to offer, just as Bobae.
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