Oh, London — That centre of everybody’s travel dreams. London is has a huge variety of attractions, historical, contemporary, fashion, literature, music, theatre, business, and last but not least, tourist attractions. Choosing the Top 10 Attractions In London is bound to leave out a few excellent alternatives, but at least you’ll know that you can’t go wrong with the 10 I picked for you now.
Starting with tourist attractions, most surprisingly for London being a world city and one of the best tourist destinations for all budgets, luxury … down to budget tourist accommodation available,…. many of the London’s best tourist attractions are FREE for visitors.
This museum hosts just the best range of objects that will fascinate and tickle the imagination of young and old. You can find arti-facts from around the world from prehistoric to modern times. Does that mean there are dinosaurs there on display??? Take a look and find out… It’s free.
One of the world’s most important museums. It is Britain’s national museum of modern art and hold very important expositions of world famous contemporary artists. It is located in an iconic former power station. Unique. Worthy of a visit. And best of all, your visit to the permanent collection will be free.
Ah,… you guessed it right! THIS is the museum where you can find the infamous dinosaurs in London. The museum houses the collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. And yes, it is FREE!
This museum could be called a celebration of art and design, with collections of ceramics, furniture, fashion, sculpture and a lot more. This museum also has free entry.
Madame Tussauds
Paid, but world famous. Madame Tussauds London houses famous faces from the worlds of showbiz, sport, politics and royalty. A fun visit for a rainy day.
Enjoying la dolce vita in Italy is easy for the Italians. They know just how their system works, what to do, where to go and how to go about things.
1. Behave like a good guest.
Even if you speak a few words of Italian, rest assured, everyone will instantly know that you are not Italian. To travel well in Italy, you don’t need to desperately try to look and be Italian, it just means you should be yourself, as a good guest. Being a good guest means playing things by the Italian rules. One of these would be to not touch things in stores like you normally would in North America. It’s not done.
2. Adapt to local circumstances.
Expect to experience Italy in Italy and not North America in an Italian setting. There is no two ways about it: the Italians do things in their own peculiar ways. E.g. You have to go to this counter to pay and to that counter to pick up your meat or bakery goods. One handles the money, the other the food.
Just when you think they are extremely good with hygiene, don’t be surprised if you find no toilet paper, soap, nor a toilet seat in many public places, cafes and restaurants. Don’t bother complaining about it. Just bring your own gear along.
These two examples might be easy to fit in with. Much harder on the American mind is the fact that shops and restaurants have their own set hours. Shops open in the morning and close at 1 pm for lunch. Restaurants start lunch at 1 pm till 3 pm, and are close till 8 pm when they open again for dinner. Set an alarm clock to wake up early so you can get things done and bring a few snacks along to help you manage this rather rigid restaurant schedule.
Overall, enjoy rather than get annoyed when things are arranged differently than they are at home. After all, this is why you are in Italy. To experience something new. Relax, and enjoy some more gelato as you find something else to do because whatever you planned is closed, and none knows when they will open again because someone is on strike.
3. Be polite.
Italians are generally courteous and polite and certain manners will open doors for you. Italians say ‘buon giorno’ when they walk into the shop, and not only the shop keeper but also the other clients greet them back. Just participate in this by saying ‘buon giorno’ when you walk into a store. Observe local politeness and follow suit.
4. Practice walking before your trip and bring sensible shoes.
I always advice guests to take their smaller children for long walks for a few weeks prior to coming for a visit to Italy. Italy means walking. And bring and wear comfortable, flat shoes while here.
Between uneven cobble stones outside(see photo) and slippery marble floors inside, Italian flooring is a challenge.
While you will see young Italian fashionistas wearing super high heels, realize that they usually are not walking very far, i.e. just from their little scooter to the coffee shop. They are certainly not going on a 5 mile sight-seeing tour through Rome like you may be. So, be like an Italian grandmother instead: wear flat, comfortable shoes and you’ll be so happy that you did.
5. Relax.
Italia is best experienced rather than raced through. Yes, it’s true: Italia is one big giant outdoor museum and there is just soo much to be seen. However, to get the best out of your Italian trip, you have to actually slow down, have fewer plans and go with the flow. In practical terms that mean that you should spend at least 3-4 days in each location and do a lot fewer sights than are on offer. Just pick a top 3 and add if you have time. Remember that the best thing about visiting Italy is simply being there.
Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It features many kinds of beauty. Mostly, it’s a land of natural wonders with spectacularly beautiful open space: its central desert with Aires Rock in its center, its extensive woodlands & grasslands, mountains, and breath-taking ocean coastlines and beaches.
Australia is a very large country (as big as America) whose land comprises of the continental mainland, the large island of Tasmania plus other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It lies in the southern hemisphere.
Australia is one of those marvellous places where action-packed adventure is everywhere with its numerous wonderful outdoors sites. But beyond adventure travel, there are other things to do on your vacation such as laying on the beach and doing absolutely nothing or visiting its interesting cities.
Top 10 Things to See & Do In Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef and located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. Whatever you do, don’t skip this site! It is often dubbed as one of natural wonders of the world. It was declared as a World Heritage Site in 1981. It is very popular tourist destination. You can enjoy scuba diving and boating in the warm clear waters of the reef.
Gold Coast is a wonderful coastal city in the southeast corner of the state of Queensland. It is often dubbed as Surfers Paradise. The city is famous for its sunny subtropical climate, popular surfing beaches, grand waterway & canal systems, beautiful skyline & skyscrapers, active nightlife, and countless tourist attractions. You can enjoy the beaches, lovely airs, and vibrant nightlife of the city.
Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is a very popular destination. You can enjoy shopping at Queen Street Mall in central business district (CBD); enjoy eating & walking at restaurants, cafes, & boardwalks in South Bank; enjoy vibrant nightlife in Fortitude Valley; enjoy shopping & eating at artsy shops and cafes in West End; enjoy dinning at trendy dining places in New Farm; and cruising on the Brisbane River at Brett’s Wharf.
Daintree National Park, in Far North Queensland, is a popular tourist destination. Founded in 1988, the park consists of two sections, with a settled agricultural area that includes the towns of Daintree Village and Mossman. Home to numerous with tropical birds, butterflies, reptiles and countless species of wildlife, Daintree Village is a nature-lover’s paradise.
Melbourne is really the culinary, sporting and cultural capital of Australia. Often dubbed as one of the most cultured cities of Australia, Melbourne is widely known for its Victorian-era architecture, many cultural institutions such as museums, galleries and theaters, and large parks and gardens. You can enjoy every bit of Melbourne.
Royal Botanic Gardens, located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, are the finest in Australia and the best in the world. On the south bank of the Yarra River, the Royal Botanic Gardens are 354,000 square metres (35 hectares or 87 acres) of beautifully landscaped gardens. You can see a wide range of flora and enjoy the refreshing scenic beauty of the gardens.
Sydney is a unique city where the sun seems to always shine and where many of its various suburbs are all facing waterfront. Cute ferries take you from one area to another. Located on the south-east coast of Australia, the Harbor City certainly is globally influential in the fields of culture, art, fashion, cuisine and design. The city is home to the Australia’s two most iconic structures Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can enjoy the vibrant life of the dynamic city.
Sydney Opera House, designed by Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect, is one of the wonders of the modern world. Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, the opera house is the most iconic building of Australia. It is the most famous performing arts venues in the world. You can enjoy the world famous theatrical, musical, and dance performances at this World Heritage Site.
Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum, is located in College Street, Sydney. Famous in the fields of natural history and anthropology, it is one of the oldest museums in Australia. You can enjoy witnessing wondrous collections of vertebrate & invertebrate zoology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology, and exhibitions at the museum.
To best enjoy Bracciano lake (Lago di Bracciano, in Italian), visit the lakeside town of Trevignano Romano, just 1 hour North of Rome, Italy.
I love my walks along the recently upgraded and beautifully refined waterside at Trevignano, where gigantic pine trees filter the sun above your head as you stroll along. Under the trees are park-like patches with flower beds and benches, alongside the path of beautiful pavers keeping you right along the water’s edge.
The views of Lago di Bracciano are expansive and unobstructed. It is a calm lake where, more often than not, the other side disappears, being shrouded in a mist just above the water surface. Making you more aware of the swans which swim together right in front of you.
It is that sense of calm and softness of color which transport me back to the Boardwalk in West Vancouver, Canada, where I went in prior years. There, the view of the water is of an ocean instead of a lake the size of a volcanic crater. But it does not matter, as both waters are equally misty and shine with the same amazing color scheme of blues and harmonious calm hues. They ooze tranquility.
Bracciano Lake
And there, where the serenity and the beauty of the lake captures you, often, rainbows or cloud-rays remind you of the omnipresence of the Divine.
Bernini’s art can be found all over Rome, with some of his most spectacular work in the heart of the city, that is, the Vatican City.
Every Sunday the pope addresses the crowd on his St. Peter’s Square. The crowd sees him as a tiny speck in a window way up high above a monumental piece of Bernini’s art: the square flanking St. Peter’s colonnade. The crowd even stands on Bernini’s art. Being both an architect and a sculpture, Bernini designed the entire Piazza di San Pietro.
Bernini was also commissioned to design one of the most prominent element inside of the basilica, i.e. the grave of St. Peter’s with its bronze columned canopy, called baldachin, which roofs this central high altar.
For a long one, one could also find my personal favorite work by Bernini, the sculpture called Ecstasy of St Theresa, within the St. Peters church. That sculpture can now be found in the Cornaro Chapel of Santa Maria della Vittoria, another church in Rome.
These 1-day tours will lead you on a journey through centuries of time, all within 1 day. Rome is a city full of architectural and cultural treasures of incomparable charms. On these tours of Rome, you will see the most ancient pagan and religious sights, which comprise the rich heritage of Rome.
Each day tour will take you approximately 9 hours to complete. You have three options for undertaking: buy a seat in one of the coach buses and they’ll drive you around all day. You can hire an independent guide who seems to be available everywhere. Arrange your price upfront and make sure you’ll know what is included. Or, simply bring your guide book, put your running shoes on, buy an inexpensive bus/metro day pass which you can buy at the many local kiosks throughout town, and if one is not included in your guide book, buy a bus map.
Tour Route Through Rome Featuring Important Religious Sites
PART I: This tour starts with the Vatican museums. Be aware of long lines in the summer. Start your track at crack of dawn and you will be fine. There will still be lines, but they are bearable. Other sites to visit right here include the Vatican galleries, Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Library Hall. Then it is time for (a late) lunch.
After lunch, head over to another part of time to do part II of your 1-day in Rome tour. Part II of this tour includes the Basilica of St Mary Major, the Basilica of St John in Lateran and The Catacombs of St. Callixtus.
Leaving from Piazza San Bernardo, crossing Piazza della Repubblica, you can go along Via Nationaleto visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This sites is built uponthe Esquiline Hile in 352 AD.
Following this, you will visit the Basilica of St. John in Lateran, which is the cathedral of Rome and the world. AT this site, you can go up the Holy Stairs, climbed by Jesus Crhist to reach Pilate’s Palace.
Next, hit the bus and Cross Piazza San Giovanni and Via Latina. If you shirt around the Mura Latine, you will pass through the Porta di San Sebastiano toarrive on the ancient Via Appia. This is where you will find the Chapel of ‘Domine Quo Vadis’. Beyond this you will arrive at the catabombs of St. Callixtus. It is worth spending some time here.
Trevi Fountain, Rome, Lazio, Italy.
Panoramic Images
Rome 1-Day Tour Route Visiting The City’s Main Historic Sites
Part I: Trevi Fountain Pantheon Piazza Navona Vatican city: St Peter’s Basilica From the Trevi Fountain continue along Via Quattro Fontane to see the gorgeous fountains of the four seasons.
Part II: Capitol Roman Forum Colosseum Basilica of St Paul’s outside the wall
With this tour you will get to enjoy sites of the classic Rome Empire, in all their splendour. Leaving Piazza San Bernando, adorned by the Moses’ Fountain, you will head for Piazza della Republicca. When you go along the Via Nationale, you will arrive in Piazza Venezia. On the square you will find on one side the memorial to Jubg Vittorio Emanuelle II, and the famous tomb ofthe unknown soldier.
Your next destination is the square of the Capitol, where you get to enjoy the architectonic genius of Michelangelo. The suare is the seat of the Rome’s town hall. It offers an unique sight of tyhe Forum and of the Palastine Hill, complete with a view of the world-famous Colosseum. Walking over ancient pavement, you will cross the Roman Forum. Ride along to go th the Aventine Hill to visit the Basilica of St. Paul’s outside the walls.
Route through Rome – Half Religious, Half Historian
Of course, you can devise your own tour, and mix and match sites. I would choose the first 4 sites of one tour with the next 4 sites of the other tour, so as to create feasible sightseeing days.
An alternative Day Tour: An Audience with the Pope
If you want to do something really special and of religious significance, you can arrange an audience with the Holy Father.
Every Wednesday (when he is in town), the Pope holds a public audience in front of the St. Peter’s Basilica. While it is free to participate, reservations have to be made a week or more in advance, and you will need to pick up your ticket the day prior to the audience from a nearby cathedral. Newly weds have a special section assigned to them. Details are on the website of the Vatican.
