TRAVEL TIPS
Travel Tips to European Countries: France
By: Cynthia L Lampton
about the city the crowd is attracted to sparkling ski slopes of the alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches of this beautiful country. france is a country which draws more tourists than any other country. it is easy to see why this is the case given frances great reputation for fine wines, good food, high fashion and relaxed lifestyle. but while france is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink till your heart is content, there's much more to this fascinating country than only cutting-edge cuisines. spring is the best time to be here, and those interested in winter sports can drop at the alps and pyrenees with some polar gear. the summers are very hot and winters are moderate. an all-weather coat and pair of comfortable shoes are a must. women, especially, should carry cocktail dresses as some of the restaurants ask for it. when visiting any religious site, refrain from wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts, as they are disliked at such places. culture english is widely spoken here, although french is the official language. handshaking is customary greeting and women should be kissed on both cheeks and should be addressed as monsieur or madame. french people are popularly known for their like for stylish sportswear and of course perfumes. nudism is allowed on some beaches only. social functions, fine restaurants, and clubs call for more formal dressing. when at a formal dinner, wait till the host gestures to start the dinner. smoking is banned in public places. site seeing paris, the city of love, is a massive city with many attractions in reachable distance thanks to the highly efficient public transport system. it boasts of more than 80 museums and 200 arts galleries. a trip to disney land and the magnificent eiffel tower will make the trip worthwhile. the attractive tourists spots are the arc de triomphe which spans over the tomb of an unknown soldier, the forbidding gothic architecture of the notre dame cathedral, the picturesque sacre coeur, to leonardo da vincis mona lisa, the moulin rouge and boat tours along the seine. get the carte musees-monuments pass, which gives access to 70 monuments and museums. shopping although service tax is included in the bill, a humble tip wont cost much. an extra dollar can be given as tip to the waiter. a tip of $2 can be left for the bus drivers. electricity 220-volt, 50-cycle ac current. getting there the national airline that operates here is air france. many low-cost airlines, too, provide services from uk. paris-charles de gaulle also known as roissy-charles de gaulle is the major airport of france, which is 23km away from the city. coaches, taxis, limousines services are provided at the airport. the railway facility provided by the airport, claims to reach all the terminals within eight minutes. these trains run 24 hours. the other airports that offer flight services are paris-orly, marseille, bordeaux, nice, lyon and toulouse. ferry and cruise trips can be made from ports such as atlantic, north sea, mediterranean, and havre. duty free items 1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco 2. 1liter of spirits over 22 per cent or 2liter of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent 3. 2liter of wine 4. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette 5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract 6. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract food and agricultural products should be avoided.
Travel Tips to European Countries: Germany
By: Luke Augustus
about the country the federal republic of germany is the most influential country of europe. it has witnessed the most controversial facts of history like nazism, holy roman empire and the building and demolition of the berlin wall. with many magnificent castles it has wealth of art and culture. german is the widely spoken language in german, but outsiders can find many english speaking locals especially in the common tourist destinations. weather the weather here is very unpredictable as there is a possibility of rain almost all months, so carry clothes accordingly. april and may are the months of spring which brings in full bloom of fruits and flowers. months from may to september have very fine weather with sunny skies and offers the best time for traveling and site-seeing. people who have a passion for sports like swimming, hiking, and cycling can have the best time here during these months. winter sports can be enjoyed at the resorts in the months from november to early march. the temperatures are below freezing and the days are too short (comprise of only six to eight months) in winter. local customs locals greet each other by handshaking and saying guten tag. to say goodbye, people use auf wiedersehen. guests are expected to bring uncovered and odd number of flowers, especially roses, when visiting someones home. the guests are welcomed with either food or refreshments. at the table, hosts say guten appetit to which the guests should reply with ebenfalls. smoking should be better avoided in public areas. locals dress informally but certain occasions like opera, theatre, certain restaurants and social functions call for formal wear. electricity 220 v, 50 hz moving around the best way to get around is to buy the welcome cards or the city passes which allows the customer to access unlimited bus facility in many cities of germany. it also gives special offer on certain tourist attractions. for flexibility one can rent-a-car or go for chauffer driven cars. along with the rent, vat of 16% is payable. car insurance should be available before hand in case of any accident. the speed limit within the cities is mostly 50kph and 100kph on the highways. nine stars the nine stars of southwest germany comprise of baden-baden, freiburg, heidelberg, karlsruhe, heilbronn, mannheim, pforzheim stuttgart, and ulm. they are considered to be some of the beautiful cities of europe. each of the cities play a vital role in the culture of germany. baden-baden has few of the finest resorts and also has europes second largest opera and concert hall. freiburg is known as the historic city center and is famous for cobblestone mosiacs, open streams and ancient alleys. heidelberg has world famous castles and germanys oldest university. karlsruhe has the famous museum center for art and media. look out for various amusements along the nectar river of heilbronn. pforzheim is the capital for watches and jewelry. stuttgart is famous for theatres and opera. ulm is the birth place of albert einstein and is also house to the worlds tallest hurch spire. travel the national airline that serves germany is lufthansa. bwelin-tegel airport is situated at 8 km away from the city and it takes about 20 minutes to reach there. there is a provision of duty free shops, banks, post office, eateries, conference hall, and car hire and tourism information for the passengers. another busy airport is the frankfurt airport which is located at 13km away from the city. buses take about 20 minutes to get there. taxis are available at any time. the intercity railway network at the airport also provides international services to hungary, switzerland and austria. the facilities provided here are duty free shops, left luggage, restaurants, banks, conference halls, post office, car hire and tourism information. no departure tax is levied on the passengers. those wishing to travel by sea can avail the ferry connections to finland, lithuania, the netherlands, latvia, and norway. eurostar provides railway service to and from belgium, france and the uk. booking can be made by telephone. the inter-rail offers unlimited second class train travel within 29 european countries. the eurailpass offers unlimited first class train travel within 17 european countries. eurocity and intercity trains have a restaurant on board, providing food and drinks. intercity express target the business class and provides services such as fully equipped office, conference compartments, etc. tourist over 17 years of age can carry alcohol and tobacco with them within permissible limits.
Travel Tips to European Countries: Holland
By: Selina Paster
about the country the summers are cool here but the winters are severe with some chances of snowfall. rainfall can be expected in any month of the year. dutch is the official language here. english, french and german are the other languages that are spoken, out of which english is widely spoken. incase of emergency call 112. culture handshake is the commonly practiced form of greeting. although tipping is not mandatory, but its better to pay rounds figure in restaurants and taxis. a humble gift should be taken to the hosts house always when invited for a meal. informal clothes are worn on a daily basis, but people are expected to turn up in formals at social functions and smart restaurants. shopping pottery of delft, makkum and workum is a must buy. silverware from schoonhoven, crystals from leerdam and diamonds from amsterdam are highly recommended. site seeing apenheul primate park is a place to visit which is a home to more than thirty species of mammals. it remains closed during the winter. de hoge veluwe is the oldest and largest park of holland. bicycles can be used to explore the 5,500 hectares of the park. paleis het loo is a magnificent palace surrounded by gardens and remains open year round except on public holidays. electricity 230 v and 50 hz travel the national airline that operates in holland is klm-royal dutch airlines. it connects to almost all the major cities of europe, north america and asia. amsterdam airport is the hub for many international and local flights. it is located at 15 km away from the city and it takes 20 minutes to reach there by train. the airline, klm, provides bus service every 15-30 minutes which takes passengers to some of the famous hotels of the city. public buses can be availed too, to reach destination. trains connect to amsterdams central station and zuid station. taxis take tourists to almost any location. the airport features duty free shops, banks, showers, business center, baby rooms, and car hire. rotterdam airport and eindhoven airport are 8km away from the city. trains and buses operate every 15 minutes to transport passengers to their hotels. facilities such as duty free shops, eateries, car rental, and internet can be availed at these airports. no departure tax is implemented on passengers at any of these airports. the main sea ports are hook of holland, vlissingen and rotteradm. stena line, p&o ferries and dfds seaways provide ferry service to get to holland. if traveling by railway, eurostar provides the best service and connects to all the major cities of europe. it provides high grade services. good offers are provided on regular basis and to utilize them they should be monitored from time to time. unused tickets are easily refunded. the inter-rail pass can be bought to avail the unlimited second class train travel within 29 european countries. top class road network connects holland to majority of cities in europe. they are well maintained and signs are posted every where for safe driving. 120kph is the speed limit while driving on highways. many car dealing agents exist if opting for car-rental. some of them are avis, europcar and budget. cycling is also a major means of transportation in holland and is part and parcel of daily life. tourists can hire cycles from the airport or other service providers with some money-deposit. duty free items 1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco 2. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette 3. 1liter of liquor or 2liter of sparkling wine or liquor wines and 2liter of non-sparkling wine 4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract 5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract
Travel Tips to European Countries: Switzerland
By: Donna C Lewis
about the country switzerland is blessed with all the bounties of nature. it is the most preferred tourist destination among all the countries in the world. the alps region has a cold weather most of the times, where as the summers are warmer in the northern area. visit saas fee to ski and snowboard. dream of living in real life igloo can come true as many resorts, like zermatt and st moritz (which is a celebrity resort), had them built for their customers. culture italian, german and french are the official languages of switzerland. many english people can also be found here. unwrapped flowers must be presented to the host to show appreciation. white asters and chrysanthemums flowers are reserved for funerals, so precaution must be taken when presenting flowers to others, even red roses are better avoided. one can move around in casuals but it is important to dress in warrant jackets and ties when attending social gatherings or when eating out at a fine restaurant. swiss franc is the currency used here. shopping switzerland is famous for its exotic chocolates, finest handmade clocks and luxury watches. other specialties are embroidered linen, music boxes, wood carvings, swiss cheese and swiss army knives. many shops remain close on monday, so shopping should be avoided on that day. since service charge is applied on all services, so tipping is an issue of free-will. 7.6% vat is charged on all purchases made in switzerland, which can be reclaimed later by asking for a global refund check, if the purchase crosses 400 chf. electricity the standard current used is 230 volts (ac) and 50 hz. getting there swiss airline is the national airline of switzerland, which connects to 71 destinations all over the world. zurich is the most popular airport, located at a distance of 11km from the city. every 15 minutes, trains shuttles passengers to their destination. fly-rail luggage ticket can be bought if the passengers want to collect their luggage at the railways station rather than the airport. while leaving switzerland, fly-rail baggage service can be availed that enables passenger to check-in their luggage at the railway station itself. other facilities provided here are duty free shops, banks, restaurants and car hire. check out geneva, basle and bern airport for offers. since weather conditions are worst during the winters, train is an efficient and cheaper option. they are also great if one wants to enjoy the scenic beauty of switzerland. swiss pass can be purchased to visit most of the tourist attractions in switzerland. high quality roads are maintained here. roads connect to austria, germany, italy and france. but in winters things can get worse, so it is better to carry chains and snow tires. cars should be kept to the right. duty free items a) visitors from european countries 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco 2 liter of alcohol (up to 15 per cent) and 1liter of alcohol (over 15 per cent) (b) visitors from non-european countries 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500g of tobacco 2liter of alcohol (up to 15 per cent) and 1liter of alcohol (over 15 per cent) meat items, narcotics and absinthe are strictly not permitted. other items that come under the prohibited items list are firearms and animals.
