BUS Orq
The Hellenic Railways Organisation OSE operates an overnight bus between Athens 500m west of the Larisis train station and Tirana, Albania 35.20, 16 hours, daily via Ioannina and Gjirokastra. To Bulgaria, the OSE operates an Athens-Sofia bus 45.50, 15 hours, daily except Monday , as well as a Thessaloniki-Sofia service 19, 7 4 hours, four daily . To Turkey, the OSE operates from Athens to Istanbul 67.50, 22 hours, daily except Wednesday . This stops at Thessaloniki 44 and Alexandroupolis 15 ....
Train Atw
The partially privatised Trenitalia 89 20 21 www.trenltalla.com runs most train services in Italy. There are several types of trains local regionale or interregionale trains faster InterCity IC services and quickest of all, the Eurostar ES trains. Ticket prices depend on the type of train and class first class costs almost double second class . Regional trains are cheaper than InterCity and Eurostar services, both of which require a supplement determined by the distance to travel. Eurostar...
Sleeping Hgl
High-season prices can come into effect any time between 1 May and 30 September most places stay open from March or April until October or November. Don't even think about arriving in mid-August unless you have a reservation and a wheel barrow full of cash, as prices shoot up on everything, even groceries. Bussola di Hermes 081 838 2010 www.bus solahermes.com Trav La Vigna 14, Anacapri dm 26-28, d 70-115, tr 80-140, q 100-170, all ind breakfast S This place is a thousand times more than just a...
Bonifacio
The most vivid view of Bonifacio is from aboard a boat in the sapphire-blue Bouches de Bonifacio Strait of Bonifacio . This stunning 12km strait channels between Corsica's southernmost tip and the Italian island of Sardinia. From the water, the tall, sun-bleached buildings of Bonifacio's citadel appear to morph seamlessly into the serrated white limestone cliffs rising up from the sea. Within the clifftop citadel is a charming maze of alleyways with a distinct medieval feel. The tourist office...
INFORMATION Wvt
Bank of Valletta cnrTriq ir-Repubblika amp Triq San Gwann Foreign-exchange machine and ATMs. Emergency For police, fire or ambulance call 112. Police Station 2122 5495 Triq Nofs in-Nhar Post Office Pjazza Kastilja S 8.15am-3.45pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat St Luke's Hospital 2124 1251 Gwardamanga Hill, Gwardamanga Malta's public hospital, near Piet about 3km southwest of Valletta take bus 75. Note that the new hospital, Mater Dei, is scheduled to open in Tal-Qroqq near the University of Malta in...
The Fatima Faithfuls
If you want to channel Dylan and buy one of the souvenir 'flesh-coloured Chrlsts that glow In the dark' then check out Fatima, located In between Lelrla and Tomar, and one of the largest religious shrines In Mediterranean Europe. Aside from gawping at the kitsch religious souvenirs, the place Itself Is pretty extraordinary with Its dazzling white basilica fronted by a vast concrete forecourt. Suspiciously reminiscent of an airport runway, this was built to hold more than a million devotees and...
RESTAURANTS Gri
0 Muro 222 083 426 Muro dos Bacaihoeiros 88 mains 7 S closed Mon Top-notch, well-priced restaurant on the river with delicious, filling food, including several vegetarian choices. Delightfully wacky d cor ranges from dried bacalhau to a Che Guevara poster. Restaurante Rom o 222 005 639 Pra a Carlos Alberto 100 mains 7.50 Small check-tablecloth place serving up tasty northern specialities such as tripe and roast kid. Leave room for the torta de noz walnut tart . Simbiose 222 030 398 Rua Infante...
Food Drink
Albanian cuisine is mainly dominated by roast lamb in the mountains and fresh seafood near the coast. The local ingredients tend to be organic by default - few farmers can afford pesticides. Tomatoes, in particular, are very tasty. A simple slice of bruschetta can be quite extraordinary. Offal, veal escalopes, biftek beef loin , qe-baps kebabs and qoft meat balls are very popular. F rges Tiran is a traditional Tirana dish of offal, eggs and tomatoes cooked in an earthenware pot. Don't order the...
BOAT Oba
Sicily is accessible by ferry from Genoa, Livorno, Naples, Reggio di Calabria and Cagliari, and also from Malta and Tunisia. The main companies servicing the Mediterranean are Tirrenia 199 12 31 99 www.tirrenia .it , Grimaldi 091 58 74 04 www.grimaldi.it and GrandiHaviVeloci 0915879 39 www.gnv.it . SHAV in Palermo091 586066, in Naples081 761 23 48 www .snav.com runs a summer ferry between Naples and Palermo. Prices vary by season and are highest from July to September. Timetables vary, so check...
Chios Xie
Due to its thriving shipping and mastic industries mastic produces the resin used in chewing gum , Chios hee-os has never really bothered much with tourism. If you are an off-the-beaten-track type of Greek Island traveller, you'll find Chios all the more appealing. One great attraction lies in exploring the island's inland villages, including some 20 mastihohoria mastic villages that were spared during an 1822 Turkish massacre because of the sultan's fondness for chewing gum. Chios Town, on the...
Sleeping Eating Ulb
Over 60 pensions and hotels lurk below the travertines in Pamukkale village. Eating at your accommodation is usually the best idea -most places have poolside terraces. Kervansaray Pension 272 2209 kervansaray2 superonline.com.tr inonu Caddesi s d 10 15 E S This popular travellers' hangout has a good reputation for cheerful service and decent rooms. Venus Pension 272 2152 www.venushotei.net Hasan Tahnsin Caddesi s d tr 8.50 17 25 2 Our personal favourite right now, this lovely pink house is run...
Corfu Kepkypa
Corfu is the second-largest and most important island in the group and many consider it to be Greece's most beautiful island. Built on a promontory and wedged between two fortresses, Corfu's old town is a tangle of narrow alleyways of shuttered Venetian buildings. The elegant List n, in the centre of town, is a row of arcaded buildings inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. The town's Palaio Frourio Old Fortress stands on an eastern promontory, separated from the town by parks and gardens...
Bus Yoa
Bus services are excellent and relatively inexpensive. There are often a number of different companies handling each route so prices and trip duration can vary substantially, but the information in this book should give you an idea of what to expect and unless otherwise noted, all bus prices are for oneway fares . Note that you pay a supplement of 6KN or 7KN for luggage placed under the bus, but not for luggage you take on board with you. It's generally best to call or visit the bus station to...
BUDGET Cco
Pensao Duas Na oes 222 081 616 www.duas nacoes.com.pt Praga Gullherme Gomes Fernandes59 s d t from 13.50 21.50 24 B A backpackers favourite with walls washed in bright primary colours and comfortable clean rooms. Pensao Santa Luzia 222 001 119 Rua da Alegria s d 20 25 S A tramp from the centre but a bargain, these pleasant, spotless rooms are run by an elderly senhora who is still charging escuda-era rates. Pensao Astoria 222 008175 Rua Arnaldo Gama 56 d 35 Set in an evocative location hugging...
Santorinithira
Stunning Santorini, shaped like a doughnut with a bite taken out of its southwestern side, is unique and should not be missed. Viewed from a boat in the doughnut's hole, the startiing sight of the submerged caldera almost encircled by sheer lava-layered cliffs - topped off by clifftop towns that look like a dusting of icing sugar - will grab your attention and not let it go. If you turn up in the high season though, be prepared for relentiess crowds and commercialism because Santorini survives...
Syri i Kalter
The Blue Eye Spring, about 15km east of Saranda, is a hypnotic spring of deep blue water surrounded by electric blue edges like the iris of an eye. It feeds the Bistrica River and its depth is still unknown. This is the perfect picnic spot, under the shade of the oak trees. There is no public transport, so unless you are driving you will have to get a taxi. A return journey to Syri i Kalter will cost around 2000 lek , with half an hour's waiting time. You get a tantalising glimpse of it en...
Mykonos Mykne
Sophisticated Mykonos shamelessly survives on tourism, but it does it well. The island has something for everyone with marvellous beaches, romantic sunsets, chic boutiques, excellent restaurants and bars, and its long-held reputation as a mecca for gay travellers. The maze of white-walled streets in Mykonos Town were designed to confuse pirates, and they certainly manage to captivate and confuse the crowds that consume the island's capital during the summer. Mykonos Town has two ferry quays....
Crete
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C Omd
Hotel Ero Hotel Mostar Kriva Cuprija Omer Lakise Pansion Rose Tourist Information Centre Zdrava Hrana Hotel Ero Hotel Mostar Kriva Cuprija Omer Lakise Pansion Rose Tourist Information Centre Zdrava Hrana
sights activities Old istanbul
This is 'Old Istanbul', a Unesco-designated World Heritage site packed with so many wonderful sights you could spend several weeks here and still only scratch the surface. When the Emperor Justinian ordered work to start on flya Sofya Hagia Sofia Map p821 522 0989 Aya Sofya Meydani admission adult child 5.50 free S 9am-5pm Tue-Sun in AD 532, he meant to create the grandest church in the world, and it's certainly hard to miss the result. For 1000 years it was Christendom's largest place of...
Gythio Tyeio
Gythio yee-thih-o was once the port of ancient Sparta. Now it's a picturesque fishing town on the Lakonian Gulf and is the gateway to the rugged Mani Peninsula. Pretty Marathonisi islet, linked to the mainland by a causeway, is said to be ancient Cranae, where Paris prince of Troy and Helen the wife of Menelaus of Sparta consummated the love affair that sparked the Trojan War. You'll find the Museum of Mani History 27330 24484 admission 1.50 S 9am-7pm here in an 18th-century tower. Camping...
MONEY Awq
The official currency of France is the euro. Bureaux de change are available in most major cities, and most large post offices offer currency exchange and cash travellers cheques. Commercial banks charge a stiff fee for changing money - generally it's cheaper to use the distributeurs automatiques de billets DAB, otherwise known as ATMs . Most ATMs are linked to the Cir- rus, Plus and Maestro networks - check with your bank back home for overseas fees. Visa and MasterCard Access or Euro-card are...
Crutenau District
cosmopolitan and surprisingly fun city. Bicycles buzz along the canals and the city swings by night when students and politicians alike head for the many pubs and winstubs Alsatian restaurants that line the streets of the old town. Strasbourg's excellent museums and rosy-pink cathedral are worth exploring, and when you need to quench your thirst, you can take a tour of one of two huge lager breweries just outside the city centre.
Transport In Morocco 1
Morocco's main international entry point is the Mohammed V International Airport g 022 539040 , 30km southeast of Casablanca. Other international airports F s Airport 055 674712 Fifteen kilometres south of F s at Saiss. Ibn Batouta Airport 039 393720 Eighteen kilometres south of Tangier. M nara Airport 044 447865 In Marrakesh. Rabat-Sal Airport 037 808090 Ten kilometres east of Sal . For comprehensive information on all Morocco's airports, log on to the website of Office National des A roports...
Orientation Information Psa
The train station is located 650m south of the main square, place d'Armes, and 700m north of Calais' commercial district, which is centred around blvd L on Gambetta and place du Th tre. On foot, the car ferry terminal is 1.5km northeast of place d'Armes. The Channel Tunnel's vehicle loading area is approximately 6km southwest of the town centre. The tourist office 03 21 96 62 40 www.calais -cotedopale.com 12 blvd Georges Clemenceau S 10am-1pm amp 2-6.30pm Mon-Sat, also open lOam-lpm Sun Jul amp...
BUDGET Gyb
Villa Saint-Exup ry 04 93 84 42 83 www.vsaint .com 22 av Gravier dm 18-22, s 30, d 52 ind breakfast P B In a lovely former monastery, this palatial independent hostel is fit for St-Exup ry's litde prince, and worth the 3km trip from the city centre. Treats include a slate-and-steel kitchen, a barbecue terrace, a 24-hour common room bar, and terrazzo-tiled, mosdy en-suite dorms and rooms, some with magical views across Nice to the Mediterranean. Take bus 1, direction Saint Sylvestre, along av...
Sleeping H
Hotel Galija Hotel Riviera Scaletta To Autocamp S to a 3km Oasis Fort Bourguignon Youth Hostel 6km . Verudeia Peninsula 6km from the town centre. Even if you don't visit the museum be sure to visit the large sculpture garden around it, and the Roman theatre behind the museum. The garden is entered through 2nd-century twin gates. Along Istarska are Roman walls that mark the eastern boundary of old Pula. Follow these walls south and continue down Giardini to the Triumphal Arch of Sergius 27 BC ....
Rabat
Relaxed, well kept and very European, flag-waving Rabat is just as cosmopolitan as Casablanca down the coast, but lacks the frantic pace and grimy feel of its economic big brother. Its elegant, tree-lined boulevards and imposing administrative buildings exude an unhurried, diplomatic and hassle-free charm that many travellers grow to like. Ave Hassan II divides the medina from the ville nouvelle and follows the line of the medina walls to the Oued Bou Regreg, the river that separates the twin...
Sights Bil
Agrigento's Valley of the Temples 0922 2 61 91 admission 6, with museum 10 S8.30am-1hr before sunset in winter, until 7pm spring amp autumn, until 10.30pm Jul amp Aug is one of the major Greek archaeological sights in the world. The ancient Greek town of Agrakas was founded here in 581 BC, during the 50th Olympiad. Some of the grandest temples of the ancient Greek world are in various states of ruin, but are still a stunning sight, worth an entire day. The only temple to survive relatively...
SLEEPING Nzb
The slow progression of tourism in Zagreb has not resulted in a corresponding increase in budget accommodation. Nor is there much in the way of small, centrally located family hotels. An early arrival is recommended, since private room-finding agencies are an attractive alternative and usually refuse telephone bookings. Prices for doubles run from about 250KN to 280KN and apartments start at 380KN per night for a studio. There's usually a surcharge for staying only one night. Omladinski Hotel...
Blue Cruise
Fethlye Is the hub of Turkey's cruising scene, dispatching dozens of yachts on a dally basis In summer. The most popular voyage Is the 'Blue Cruise' to Kale near Olympos , a four-day, three-night route that attracts more than Its share of young party animals. You can also continue as far as Antalya, or head In the opposite direction towards Marmaris - many people argue this Is actually a finer stretch of coast. For more ambitious trips you can charter the whole boat yourself, with or without...
The Costa Brava
The Costa Brava Rugged Coast was Catalonia's first tourist centre, and after you visit its rocky coasdine, romantic cove beaches and white-washed fishing villages, you'll see why. Though overdevelopment threatens the coast's charm, this is still one of Catalonia's most beautiful areas. Save time to explore the medieval villages and important historic and cultural sites inland, including the Dal museum in Figueres right . Ask for information at the tourist offices S lOam-lpm amp 4-7pm Mon-Sat,...
Trogir
The profusion of Romanesque and Renaissance architectural styles within 15th-century walls, as well as the magnificent cathedral at the town centre, inspired Unesco to name Trogir a World Heritage site. It's a more manageable town than Split and makes a good alternative place to stay given its proximity to Split airport. Trogir occupies a tiny island in the narrow channel lying between Ciovo Island and the mainland, and is just off the coastal highway. The heart of the old town is a few...
Albanian 1
a chemist pharmacy the embassy the market newsagency the post office the stationers the telephone centre the tourist office nj bank nj farmaci ambasad n pazarin