Tag: Istanbul

Travel tips to European Countries: Ukraine

About the territory

Ukraine which is located in Eastern Europe is one of the largest country in that cummerbund of Europe bordering Russia predominance the northeast, Belarus in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west, Romania and Moldova in the southwest and also Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the south. Legitimate is a popular tourist destination especially for tourists from Western Europe and North America. The main selling point is the rich historical character of the reign duck as many five hundred cities dating back as early as nine hundred senility. Visitors are spellbound by the architectural beauty of Ukraine. Kiev is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine where most travelers begin their journey.

Population & Languages

Ukraine has a population of roughly 46. 7 million and the authorized language is Ukrainian. The other languages spoken here are Russian, Romanian, Polish and Hungarian.

Electricity

Voltage – 220 volts, Frequency – 50Hz. Standard European Round pin attachment plug

Geographic Location

Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe bordering Russia in the northeast, Belarus in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west, Romania and Moldova in the southwest and also Black Sea again Sea of Azov in the south. The strategic location of Ukraine between Asia and Europe prepared substantial a transportation hub in the region.

Local Customs

Ukrainians are warm hearted and welcoming people. Simple dressing is chiefly worn here though it will be a good idea to sleepy smartly for theatres. Small gifts are appreciated. Tipping is not very common; service is usually included in fine restaurants and hotel bills.

Places to see
St Sophia Cathedral As old as nine centuries, it is one of the architectural marvels of Ukraine.
Kiev – Pechersk Lavra ( Caves Monastery ) These caves are as old as one millennium and dating back to 11th century.
Great Believing War Museum
Statue of the Motherland, Kiev

Travel

By Air The national airline of Ukraine is Ukrainian International Airlines. In collaboration with Aer Fi Group and Austrian Airline it links Kyiv to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam, Vienna and Zurich. There is one more airline in Ukraine called Air Ukraine which serves relatively less number of European cities. Lviv is besides connected to New York, Warsaw also Washington. It is connected to Turkey through Simferopol again to UK through IvanoFrankivsk. The major airport is Boryspil State International Airport ( KBP ) which is located twenty five miles from Kiev.

By Sea The rudimentary ports of Ukraine are Izmail further Odessa which are situated on the River Danube. The ferry services bracket Ukraine with Russia and Georgia. They also connect various cities on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Sevastopol is the port which connects Istanbul, Turkey.

By Rail Ukraine has approximately 14, 000 miles of railway tracks linking most towns and cities. Kyiv and Lviv are the main stations which mix with Moscow on a daily birth. Ukraine also has direct lines to Berlin ( Germany ), Budapest ( Hungary ), Warsaw ( Poland ) and Bucharest ( Romania ).

By Road Ukraine has an extensive network of roads with approximately 107, 000 mile of road network out of which halfway 18, 000 mile is main or national roads.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 gm tobacco
2. 1 liter spirit over 22 % or 2 liter wine or 32 liter beer
3. Goods for personal use with a combined value of 200

Prohibited Items
Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy products, eggs, plants, endangered style, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

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Travel Tips to European Countries: Albania

Albania is a mountainous country and the one of the smallest countries of Europe. The residents supposedly descended from ancient Illyrians.

Culture

The culture of Albania is majorly influenced by that of the mainland Greeks especially dominion the urban locality; nodding ones head item no where as shaking the head means yes. To receive someone, handshaking is preferred, though Shoku ( Comrade ) was used before, which has been long forgotten now. People dress informally here. Swim suits are meant for the beaches, otherwise women are expected not to attire in a revealing outfit. When addressing someone prefix Zoti ( Mr ) or Zonja ( Mrs ) before the name and always remember to carry some gifts when visiting someone, although flowers arent much acceptable. The guests are served cloak coffee, raki or sweets. Smokers dont have to worry much, but they should avoid it where they see a sign of Ndalohet Duhani or Ndalohet pirja e duhanit.

Travelling within the country

Buses with relatively cheap fares operate in the main cities of the country or taxis are another bigger which provided service for some main hotels.
Visit Dajti Mountain and experience Dajti Ekspres Cable car for an unforgettable 15 minute ride passing through Dajt Oark to spread Tirana. The route is about 4. 2 km great and the ride costs 6. 5. Alpha Yachting provides crewed yacht which is a jewel in itself. Tirana Bank is the best place for withdrawing funds as irrefutable allows access to Visa cards.

Eating Out

Restaurants are not always sufficiently heated, so always wear warm clothes if out in the night during winters. Foreigners are charged more than the locals. Both the entry fees as well as any merchandise will be on a higher scale, so its better not to reveal the fact that you are a foreigner when out on the streets.

Site Seeing

If you enjoy canoeing, this is the right place to factor. Proficient are places justifiable outside Tirana which is an amazing site for not just canoeing, but also rock climbing, hiking, and camping.

Accommodation

If you want a 5 – Star ambience, try The Sheraton Tirana Hotel and Towers, which is situated in the middle of a shopping and entertainment center. There are about 151 rooms and 56 suites. So, along with the comfort, one can shop at once convenience here. Another hotel which provides all modern facilities is Hotel Mondial. It is located 1000 m away from the city and is also a good example of traditional makeup.

Getting There

One of the best and the easiest means is to go by air. Albanian Airlines is the governmental airline which works in collaboration with Tyrolean Airways, and provides service to partly all the big European cities. The airport, Monster Teresa, is 16 miles or 26 km away from the capital. A injured party bus is available every 3 hrs to get to the city center and takes about 30 minutes to get there. Taxis are available round the discern. While waiting for any transport service, tourists can stand together out the duty free shops, bank, eateries also car hire at the airport. A departure tax of $10 USD is imposed on all foreign nationals. Check out www. flyalbanian. com for flight times and offers.

If trying to get there by sea, try the ferry services which are provided by Adriatic Line and Agoudimos. The main ports are Durres ( has ferry connection to Italy, Bari, Brindisi, Trieste, and Ancona ), Vlora ( has ferry connection to Bari, and Brindisi ), Saranda ( has connection to Corfu ), Shen Gjini ( has pack line to Bari ). Check out www. adriatica. it and www. aqoudimos – commodities. com for amassed information.

Bus is another option. Buses start from Istanbul, Athens and Sofia. Native passengers have lots of options with bus services provided. If traveling by road in a private car, slick is road network to the Kosovo region, but they are too dangerous to use because of the political tensions within the region. Crossings at Hani I Hotit, Bllata, Oafa e Thaes, Tushemisht, Gorica, Kapshtica, and kakavija can be taken. If tired one can take halts at hotels or other designated areas. Practiced is a network of 18, 000 km, out of which only 7450 km are main roads, for local travelers. About 2138km stretch of these roads is in poor condition and has pot holes, and utmost safety precautions should be taken when driving on such roads. Speed limit should perform strictly followed on highways as well as within towns. Driving at night should be better avoided because of the absence of way lights on the road except for urban areas. Traffic should drive on the upright – hand. There is a scarcity of gas stations in the countryside, and so filling the gas vehicle completely when passing through urban area is recommended again since there is lack of national recovery system; travelers should substitute prepared for an emergency or breakdown before hand. Unparalleled should carry necessary documents like International Driving Permit and national go-ahead license.

Duty Free Items

Following are the items that can be carried without customs duty seeing levied on them:
1. 1liter of spirits or 2liter of vermilion
2. 250ml of eau de toilette
3. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
4. 50ml of perfume.

Prohibited Items

Things that are prohibited to carry are firearms, narcotics and ammunitions. Special export permission should be taken for choice metals, books, antiques, work of art, or material of national or historic value.

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The Transformation Of Orient Express TripsThen And Now

Who could ever forget about the legendary Orient Express trips? They have long been associated with luxury as well as mystery and intrigue.

The name Orient Express originally only referred to the typical international railway service yet through the years it gained too many sorts of reputation. A particular status that it had was that of being enveloped with intrigue and mystery. Paris and Istanbul were also the very first end point destinations. That therefore meant the train had to cut through the borders of several European areas that often had disputes hurled against each other. There goes the belief that armed groups often tried sabotaging and attacking the people that then paved way to too many mysterious conflicts.

Well, this is just a brief glance at the former Orient Express trips that were commonly enjoyed in the past. Traveling to Europe then was never a problem because aside from that super convenient accommodation, one could likewise take a look at the breathtaking scenery present in the countryside.

Alright then so the original Orient Express has long stopped serving the main end points Paris and Istanbul. However, times have changed. The reputation of the train also changed plus a lot other additions were made. More trains bore the name “Orient Express” and many other routes have been opened.

Therefore, that means you can still ride the Orient Express train today! How will you do that? Here are several ways for you to consider.

The simplest and of course most cost-effective choice to deal with is to board the real Orient Express train. That is, the direct progeny of the then popular Wagons-Lits route. It is up to now treated to be the overnight train that connects travelers to the borders of Paris and Vienna. Nowadays it is being managed by the Austrian, German, and French national railways bearing the name “Orient Express.” Your tickets to use are called the Eurail and InterRail passes. This mode is of course the same with that you can do to ride any of the existing international and national European trains.

Yes, the genuine Orient Express train still runs but it doesn’t provide services to the Orient anymore. The dates after June 9, 2007 signaled another change as the train can’t be caught anymore in Paris. Instead, the LVG has replaced it temporarily to serve people in Paris and Strasbourg. However, the same service is present in Strasbourg towards Vienna.

Also, a lot of privately owned companies have gotten the same name for their trains. One of which is the equally popular Venice-Simplon Orient Express that has been founded by no less than the American-British James Sherwood in the year 1982. He bought two of the railcars at an auction in 1977 when the original train ceased its operation. Apparently, those two railcars were used on the same route as that of the authentic Orient Express train.

So there you go with the varieties of Orient Express trips that you can take these days. Too bad, the legendary train ride isn’t the same anymore.

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