Favorite City Guide

Rome City Travel Guide

2009-07-22T04:11:00.000-07:00

Known as the "Eternal City", today Rome is the magnificent capital of Italy and the region of Lazio. Located on the Tiber River, between the Apennine Mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Rome was once the governmental center of the Roman Empire, a large area expanding from Britain to Mesopotamia.

Nowadays Rome is best known for its numerous museums, landmarks and monuments, all in all for its invaluable historical center that has earned its rightful place among the UNESCO World Heritage sites. When thinking of Rome immediately La Dolce Vita, Vatican City and Three Coins in the Fountain just pop up into one’s head, but these are just a few of the many marvelous things that the city holds.

Traditionally Rome is thought to have been established by the legendary twins Romulus and Remus, deserted by the Tiber River they were brought up by a wolf, until a shepherd found them and raised them as his own sons. With a metropolitan area giving home to more than 3.3 million people, Rome did not have to struggle much in order to climb up to the top when it comes to favorite tourist destinations.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Italian is the main language and also that in many places different types of dialects are used among locals. However, in Rome English is pretty widely spread, especially around tourist attractions, and there are many, it is always handy to have an Italian Phrasebook making it easier to get your ideas across. If you speak other Romance languages they might be handy , and if not just remember to be polite and smile and people will be more than happy to help you!

Choosing the perfect time to visit Rome depending on the climate is not really so hard. Summers, swamped by tourists, are hot and dry and sometimes they can be bit windy depending on how close you get to the see, while winters are known to be cold and foggy, but again weather changes depending on the area. Wanting to avoid the crowd, try visiting in spring or autumn, but if you do not mind all those people and want to enjoy a hot summer in Rome, feel free to do so!

Note that in August many stores will be closed, due to the fact that for two weeks Rome’s inhabitants have their own vacation, so do not be surprised to find Chiuso per ferie (Closed for Holidays) sign on many doors!

Read more about Rome at http://www.favoritecity.eu/italy/rome/

Barcelona City Travel Guide

2009-07-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

Spain’s second largest city, also the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, with a wealth of unique architecture has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. If we would only be able to describe the city in three words, the most appropriate ones would be culture, style and harmony. Barcelona is a mixture of modern architecture, making sure that the new is mixed perfectly with the antique.

The busiest time in Barcelona is August, though about 10% of shops and restaurants are closed from mid August to early September, when owners have their vacations. Due to high humidity, 19-23 degrees Celsius is the most comfortable weather to discover the beauties of the city.Language - Barcelona's official languages are Catalan and Spanish. It is good to keep in mind that most inhabitants do not speak English, so a tiny word book would come in handy in helping us to get understood. Most signs are indicated in Catalan, as most inhabitants speak both languages, this is not an issue.

Here as well as in other European countries an attempt by a tourist to use one of the native languages, is always appreciated. Remember that Catalan is a complete language just as French, Portuguese or Italian so to avoid offending someone, never refer to it as a dialect. Festivals and events in Barcelona are - Sant Jordi 23rd of April, a bit similar to Saint Valentine’s when people give roses and books around the streets. Is one of the most popular and interesting celebrations in Catalonia. Casa de l'Ardiaca during CorpusChristi day late in May is also popular. An egg is put over the fountains (most of them in the churches, and decorated with flowers), and "magically dances" over the water. Most of the churches are in the city centre: Cathedral's cloister, Santa Anna, Casa de l'Ardiaca, Museo Frederic Marés, and over 10 more fountains.

Another celebration, worthy of a try out is the Festes de Gràcia around the 15th of August; decorated streets, live music, good food and a long night of party in he streets of Barcelona. The main festival in the city is Festes de la Mercè around the 24th of September. Visitor and locals can enjoy live music all day and night long, theatre, street life and much more, and most of it for free! Don’t miss it! Fira de Santa Llúcia from December 2nd/3rd to December 23rd, to commemorate Santa Llúcia takes place in front of the Cathedral, where Christmas objects are sold.

Read more about Barcelona at http://www.favoritecity.eu/spain/barcelona/

Budapest City Travel Guide

2009-07-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is getting more and more popular among tourist. Come to be known as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest attracts over 20 million of tourist per year. Budapest is a city that is unique and fascinating. Combining culture with a vivid nightlife, mixing old and new the city certainly offers a wide range of attractions to choose from, whether young or old, nobody will be bored in Budapest.

Budapest has come to be loved thanks to its architectural variety, romantic scenery, gastronomy, and its friendly and welcoming people. The city can be divided in two parts, the west side of the Danube River, Buda, containing Castle Hill, the oldest part of the city and the east side of the River, Pest, the more commercial side, though also the place of many amazing monuments.

In Budapest (Hungary) one can find all four season, from hot summer days until freezing winter days, the city has it all. When it comes to visiting this amazing city, one does not have to wonder about which is the perfect season for it, as Budapest, may it be summer or winter, will surely provide enough attractions and things to do in order to have a memorable vacation. Going in the summer, besides enjoying long walks on the river side, a boat trip or even a concert in the open air, one can relax in the amazing thermal baths in Budapest. In the winter among many other things, feel free to check out the Christmas market, enjoy the lights on the Andrassy Avenue with a nice glass of hot wine, or maybe go skating on the great ring in the heart of the city.

When it comes to languages, young people do speak English quite well. Older ones however may not be able to understand you. Around tourist attractions you might usually be helped easily in a foreign language, but there are parts of Budapest and outside where you won’t. In order to make your trip easier, take a map of the city with you, so you can ask for directions and a little dictionary might be very useful too!

Read more about Budapest at http://www.favoritecity.eu/hungary/budapest/

Amsterdam City Travel Guide

2009-07-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Whether you have a preference for history and culture or you prefer a romantic walk along the canals of Amsterdam, this city makes your vacation unforgettable. Imposing architecture, vivid nightlife or the charm of an old capital; Amsterdam combines it to a unique mixture.

More then one million inhabitants contains the in the metropolitan area of Amsterdam, 90% living outside the center. Amsterdam is positioned in the Province of North-Holland. The Old city, as it was around 1850, is ringed by five major concentric canals the Singel, the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht, the Prinsengracht, and the Singelgracht . The main tourist attractions of Amsterdam are all located within the Old Center, while most economic activities are positioned outside the ring motorway, away from the center.

Amsterdam is amazing all year round! Summers and springs are sunny and warm, while winters can be cold, and take into consideration that you only have about 8 hours of daylight, however around Christmas time, the city has a very special atmosphere. If you are looking for something special, visit Amsterdam on Queen’s Day (Koninginnedag), celebrated on the 30th of April, when everything is dressed up in orange, symbolizing national pride in the royal House of Orange-Nassau, check out the huge flee market and enjoy live music!

There are different types of people, with different wishes and expectations, but when it comes to Amsterdam, most of them think of the Red Light District and the legal drugs, either to just have a look or maybe try something that is prohibited elsewhere. For an unforgettable experience, visit a coffee-shops, where you can buy soft drugs, like marijuana and hash, and wonder around the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Remember that you are not allowed to take pictures of prostitutes, and do not try, as the area is full with police and surveillance cameras!

The official language in the Netherlands is Dutch, but young and old, almost everybody can speak English fluently, so for sure you will be able to make yourself understood in Amsterdam or the other cities! The same as in all major cities, here as well keep in eye on your handbag, and watch out for pickpockets especially on the busy shopping street or around stations! Be careful when crossing street, as traffic can be busy and also make sure you are not walking on the bike lane; cyclists are not so kind with pedestrians.

Read more about tourist destination and capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam at http://www.favoritecity.eu/netherlands/amsterdam/

Pamplona City Travel Guide

2009-07-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

The capital city of Navarre and he former Kingdom of Navarre, Pamplona (Basque: Iruña) is one of the most famous tourist destination in Spain. Located in the heart of Navarre, in the Cuenca de Pamplona valley, Pamplona has a mixed climate, where Oceanic weather is mixing with Continental Mediterranean, often resulting in hot summers and mild winters.

Pamplona is world famous for its early summer festival, San Fermin, attracting tones of tourists into the city. The festival starts the 6th of July and lasts until the 14th, the festival that made Pamplona world famous begins with a txupinazo a rocket fired from the city council's balcony at 12PM.

Bull running
There are several night parties and of course the most famous parts of the festival is the encierro, the running of the bulls, which is held every single day at 8AM. 6 bulls run thought the town centre heading the Plaza de Toros ( The Bull Ring); if your are a risk taker than just run in front of them, otherwise watch other do it from a safe place!

Wake up
If you wish to take part in running the bulls, be at the tracks at 7.30 AM sharp; remember that you are not allowed to take any cameras with you! Apart from the festival, Pamplona is listed as a city with having one of the best standards of living and quality of life in Spain.AtmosphereIt is the perfect place for those who wish to have a quiet little vacation, relaxing in Spain. The atmosphere at nights is amazing, due to the numerous street parties, with music, alcohol and dancing until dawn making the city even more special. When it comes to safety, common sense does work, but here you have to look out for the Bulls and not so much for the pickpockets!

Read more about Pamplona at http://www.favoritecity.eu/spain/pamplona/

New Favorite City Travel Guides

2009-03-03T22:55:00.000-08:00

In the last few weeks we have added many interesting city manuals to Favorite City Guides. Here is a small recap of what you might have missed. We hope to see you soon and welcome any suggestions to make our city travel guides better and more usable. Travel safe! Team Favorite City Guides.

Amsterdam Ankara Antwerp Athens Barcelona Beijing Berlin Budapest Cologne London Madrid Moscow Pamplona Paris Porto Rome Stockholm Vatican Venice Vienna

New city guides: Stockholm and Beijing

2009-02-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

Favorite City Guides creates new free city guides almost every day. The latest additions are Stockholm (capital of Sweden) and Beijing, the impressive capital of China.

You may also like these City Guides: Amsterdam - Ankara - Antwerp - Athens - Barcelona - Berlin - Cologne - London - Pamplona - Paris - Porto - Stockholm - Venice - Vienna.

Discover China and capital Beijing

2009-02-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

The fascinating capital of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, is one of the most visited places in the world. Thanks to its rich history, extremely valuable art and culture, and for housing some of the most important government institutions, the capital has rightfully earned its place among the most popular tourist destinations.

The name of city that served as a capital for the first time in 1264, Beijing, literally means ”Northern Capital”. It is home to one of the world's oldest and most multifaceted civilizations, covering a history of over 5,000 years, Beijing is the perfect site to discover customs, traditions, getting closer to the rich culture of the Chinese nation.

Do you want to read more about China or its capital Beijing? Go to our free online travel guide Favorite City Guides.

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands

2009-02-25T05:45:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam - The Netherlands is a Western European country, facing onto the North Sea and bordered on land by Germany and Belgium. The people, language, and culture of the Netherlands are referred to as "Dutch". The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces. The western part (Holland) is the most industrialized and about half of the population lives in and around this area. Capital Amsterdam offers impressive architecture, lovely canals and great shopping. The main airport in the Netherlands is Schiphol, just outside of Amsterdam.

Other Favorite City Guides you may like are: Amsterdam, Ankara, Antwerp, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, London, Pamplona, Paris, Porto, Vatican, Venice and Vienna.

We've added Rome and Vatican City

2009-02-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

Two city travel have been added to Favorite City Travel Guides today. The first is Vatican City. This residence of the pope and the capital of the Vatican offers some great sights, not only for catholics, also for lovers of culture and history.

The second city is Rome. We allredy had some travel information available about the Italian capital. Now we have recreated Rome City Guide in our new and easy to use design. We hope you enjoy and look forward to getting your feedback.

New city guides: Venice and Athens

2009-02-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

We seem to be in the right mood for writing travel guides. Today another two cities have been added to our free online city guide: Athens and Venice. Enjoy reading!

Travel update: Antwerp City Guide

2009-02-19T03:34:00.000-08:00

Just a little update for the fellow travelers; we've added Antwerp in Belgium to our Favorite City Guide. Enjoy reading and maybe preparing for your city trip. Regards, Team Favorite City.

Bull running: visit Pamplona

2009-02-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Opinions are mixed about the bull running tradition in Pamplona, Spain. The best way to form your own ideas about this event during the early summer festival is to see it with your own eyes. Favorite City Guides has created a special travel guide, that should help you to plan your trip. You can find it here: Pamplona City Guide. Of course we could like to hear your story about the bulls!

Favorite: Cologne in Germany

2009-02-18T02:23:00.000-08:00

Guess what? There's another new addition to our Favorite City Travel Guide. This time we've covered Cologne (Köln) in Germany. To go to the introduction page, just click here: Cologne. Of course you can also find information about public transportation, hotel accommodation and sightseeing, as well as reviews by other travelers. Enjoy Cologne!

A unique experience: Ankara

2009-02-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

The Favorite City Guide team likes to leave the beaten track. In some cities you need to go a long way for that. Turkey offers the traveler some unique cities that show their true sight just a few blocks or streets away from the touristic squares. One of those impressive places is Ankara, Turkey's capital. We've created a fine city guide that helps you to prepare your trip. Read about sightseeing, getting around and hotel accommodation. Also watch a few videos by other Ankara travelers, to get your trip going.

Experience breathtaking city Berlin

2009-02-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Wow. Those three letters say it all. For a long time Berlin was known as oldfashioned and stiff, but those days are over for good! This vibrant city has something to offer for everyone. Readmore about sightseeing and culture on our highlights page. Read what's the best way to get around this German capital and read stories by other travelers. Of course we will also help you to find good hotel accommodation, so your stay can become unforgettable. The Favorite City Team wishes you a fine time in Berlin!

New Barcelona city travel guide

2009-02-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Spring is a perfect time to visit Barcelona. The Spanish city is not too crowded yet and you will have a moderate temperature, perfect for sightseeing. Favorite City Travel Guides has made a new online city guide about Barcelona. Apart from general info, you will find quality hotel accommodation, a section on highlights and tips for getting around. Also we've added some stories by other travelers, that should give you a good start. Travel safe and see you in Barcelona!

Discover London with FavoriteCity

2009-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ready for a new travel experience? Try London this time. Just surft to our London City Guide and read all about hotels, sightseeing and getting around. Travel safe!

New city travel guide about Paris

2009-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow traveler. We have recreated our travel guide for Paris, the capital of France. Just suft here and find information for your exciting trip. FavoriteCity.eu offers hotel deals, sightseeeing tips and stories by other travelers as well as a guide on 'getting around'.

New design for Amsterdam city guide

2009-02-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

Favorite City Guide has a new design. In the coming days we will implement the new design on all the city guide pages. We've started with the capital of the Netherlands: Amsterdam. Go to this page to find general tourist information, hotels, attractions, transport information and stories by other travelers. The new design is user friendly and the search box on top of each page makes it easier to navigate through the free online city guide www.favoritecity.eu

Working on FavoriteCity behind the scenes

2008-10-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow travelers, as you might have discovered not much is happening on http://www.favoritecity.eu. Behind the scenes we are working on a complete new design that will be better accessible for search engines like Google. Our city travel guide will get a completely new look and feel. Navigation will be easier and each page will get a prominent search box to find your way through our website. In the meantime our text editors are creating new texts about interesting cities all around Europe. In total we cover around 75 cities by now, as you will discover as soon as the new site is in the air. Be patient!

New hotels added to FavoriteCity.eu

2008-09-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

After a well deserved holiday we are back with Favorite City news. Some great hotels have been added to our database. Pic your favorite accommodation in Amsterdam, Paris or Brussels. Also we have added some interesting info to our travel guide pages of London, Berlin and Barcelona. We'll be back soon with more news. Happy travels, team Favorite City.

More hotel deals in Amsterdam and Paris

2008-08-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've changed the system we use to publish hotel deals in our online city travel guide. Check out Amsterdam and Paris and let us know if you like the new way to present affordable hotel accommodation. Some changes in the structure of our website should increase findability in Google and other search engines. Happy travels, Team FavoriteCity.eu

Changes to Tbilisi and Georgia travel guide

2008-08-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

As a result of the war in Ossetia between Georgian and Russian troups we have made some changes to our Tbilisi (capital of Georgia) city travel guide. We don't offer any hotel deals at the moment since it's highly unsafe to travel to Tbilisi now. Some stories on history and tourist attractions are still available. Team FavoriteCity.eu

New sitemap for FavoriteCity.eu

2008-08-11T02:06:00.000-07:00

We've created another way to navigate through our city travel guide FavoriteCity.eu. Apart from using the red and green navigation sections and the search boxes in the right hand banner we also updated our Sitemap. Simply surf there and find tourist attractions or hotels in for example Vienna (Austria), Rome (Italy) or Athens (Greece). You can find our Sitemap here.