El Albayzín (barrio árabe)

• Narrow streets, great place to walk and check spectacular city views:

Narrow streets, great place to walk and check spectacular city views

There are still security warnings for this area, so take this into account.

• Alhambra – make sure to buy a ticket 1 week before the visit.

Alhambra - Granada - Spain

You can bought it in ServiCaja bank machines that supports selling of tickets. If bought using Internet you might need an assistance to print your ticket with ServiCaja machine. The key point which is not really clear is that you need to insert the bank card that you used to buy your ticket in the ServiCaja bank machine first. Then follow instructions on the screen.

• Cathedral and chapel - worth paying 3 euro for each. Centrally located, on the northern side of the cathedral you’ll find bus stops to go to the Alhambra.

Transport: use small buses that cost 1,2 euro to get to Alhambra and back. For other points its better just to walk. Make sure you take taxi if return from Sacromonte after flamenco show.

Accommodation: one extremely cheap and well located option is Hostal Nevot, which actually is a 2 start hotel just 8 minutes walk to Cathedral with private parking (or you can also park in the street). You’ll sleep with more comfort there if you have earplugs.

Tapas and cafe: avoid Plaza Nueva (prices might be specified without taxes and some standard tourists tricks are used there, as for instance not including bread price in the day menu price).

• For good options (=free tapas) go to the “Elvira” street (if go from Cathedral you need to cross Grand Via and Elvira is parallel to Gran Via.
• There are some restaurants (one next to Caixa, which is in front of Cathedral) under the brand name “La Bella y la Bestia” – great place with good prices as well. For tea and cheap food go from Elvira up to the Albayzin.
• For drinks in the evening: Plaza de la Trinidad, Plaza de Derecho.

Stop in Zaragoza for launch with tapas and beautiful central square with cathedral

All places of tourist interest are around central square:

All places of interest for tourists are around the central square.

For tapas bars and restaurants go to Calle del Cuatro de Agosto, most places open in the evening.

• Accommodation: check if good prices are available at Hotel Ramiro I now, this hotel is good-located with private parking (rooms for about 45 euro), extremely good for these money.

• Cite de l’Espace a Toulouse (you’ll need min 4-5 hours there), you’ll easily find it in POI of your navigator or in any guide;
• Airbus factory in Toulouse – important – EU citizen can book visit normally for the next day, for not-EU citizens it is necessary to book in advance, check the latest information on their web-site; You’ll need to show pass;

Cite de l'Espace - space center in Toulouse, something similar to Sinsheim in Germany, but space-oriented. Interesting for both - kids and adults.

After checking major sites of interest pay attention to contemporary art gallery – Les Abattoirs (Alles Charles de Fitte). Most likely you’ll catch there some interesting piece of modern art.

Les Abattoirs - great contemporary art gallery in Toulouse

• Toulouse-Lautrec’s museum is just few steps from cathedral.
• Navigate to the city center, when approaching cathedral you’ll see unremarkable parking house (just 1 minute walk from it), park you car there.

Stop in Albi (near Toulouse) for 2-3 hours to visit Toulouse-Lautrec museum and take pictures of unusual brick cathedral

• Small Michelin shop (great place to buy maps or guides or just souvenirs);
• The Lord of the Rings-style (as truly named by Lonely Planet) cathedral;

Fairytale cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand

If you are looking for budget hotel there check on booking.com “Le Saint-Joseph” – 10 minutes walk from the center, free Wi-Fi and easy parking in the street.

Park next to the square is worth visiting for relaxed walk or spending time to do a picnic.

The Place Stanislas is in UNESCO World Heritage list is really nice especially in the night.

If need to book a hotel in Nancy don’t pay much attention to parking, there are a lot of street parking spaces, even near the center.

Hamburg center - by Alster and Rathaus

Hamburg is “Hafen-city” (Port-city) so you will find there storehouses made out of red brick and port itself, with huge number of tourist ships and huge cargo ship.

Cargo ship in Hamburg Port

Storehouses of red brick

Every night at 22 p.m. there is a colorful fountain show in Planten un Blomen park.

In Marine Museum you will find everything from marine art to some fancy ships, like Nautilus submarine

Hamburg Planetarium is also worth visiting, there is a projection device that creates a great show sharing the history and nowadays ideas about space and space research.

Open-air u434 submarine museum - great experience inside u-boot

Great auto museum placed on 3 floors - it is not focused on certain brand, but shows the most famous cars produced in Germany.

Few tips about driving

• There is Elbtunel the tunnel under Elbe, and there are always traffic jams in the weekends, so if possible, choose another road.
• If you need a long-term parking, check the Vinci Parking

Dinner in Hamburg

• Check the “Colonnaden” street (Stephansplatz or Gansemarkt U-bahn stations) – you will find there a number of inexpensive Italian restaurants (10-12 Euro per person) and there is also a sushi-restaurant with “All you can eat” option for 16 (?) Euro.

Short distance travel from Hamburg

• Bremen - you will find there the statue of famous Bremen musicians
• Stade – old city near Hamburg

Long distance trips from Hamburg

• Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)

• Drive and use ferry service (about 60 Euro per car, ferry is every hour)
• Drive and use paid bridge (30 Euro, as far as I can remember)

I’ve taked “bridge” route – it is 30 minutes longer, but the country side is really beautiful, more over, if drive to Copenhagen to the west, you can Visit viking ships museum.

I've taked "bridge" route - it is 30 minutes longer, but the country side is really beautiful

Now few words about visiting interesting museums and places:

The “Belive it or not” – the branch for the Ripley’s museum. The most interesting experience was with the tube, where walls were rotating, if you get in, you start thinking the actually, not the walls, but floor is swinging. Very interesting, very unusual.

If you get in, you start thinking that actually, not the walls, but floor is swinging. Very interesting, very unusual.

Design museum – it another “must visit” place – the exposition was devoted to light – a lot of information about light physics with examples that you can see and touch.

Learn light physics - with examples that you can see and touch

The Mermain is the symbol of Copenhagen, don’t use public transportation to get to it – walk by the park instead.

The Mermain is the symbol of Copenhagen, don't use public transportation to get to it - walk by the park instead.

Classical museum are also very interesting, in Glyptotek you will find many sculptures by Roden. National museum is near – good structured and well represented information about Denmark, there are no audio-guides in museum, but it is really interesting, for instance, this check this kviz-picture.

For sure, Copenhagen is a port-city – so things like “self-made U-Boat” seems to be usuall there:

Copenhagen is a port-city - so things like "self-made U-Boat" seems to be usuall there:

Viking Boats Museum is located in the Roskilde town (Vindeboder 12, Copenhagen, Denmark), but it worths visiting it.

You will find there copies (free to visit under open-air) and originals of Vikings ships:

A lot of copies (free to visit under open-air) of Vikings Ships

Also, the process of viking-ship-building is covered in details, starting the tree selection and processing ending the discussion of sailing experience.

The process of viking-ship-building is covered in details

If you think there too many bicycles in Amsterdam - you are right. 3-level parking for bicycles near main train station.

One of the most unusual place to visit is a very small Boat Houses Museum. If you like the idea about living in the boat-house, you’ll find it really interesting.

There are more than 2000 boat-houses in Amsterdam, building new is not a problem, but all possible parking places are now occupied, so it is not possible to build a new house, but one can buy existent one.

There are more than 2000 boat-houses in Amsterdam

The price is typically lower (200000 Euro) than for the normal house, but yearly maintain is higher (500-1000 Euro).

Get inside on of the boat-houses - now it is a museum

It is good located – check visitors information here.