Tag: Train Service

Travel tips to European Countries: Romania

About the county

Lying in the Southeastern Europe Romania is slowly emerging from the shackles of its dark history. Modern Romania was formed by merging two Principalities i. e. Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 which were ruled by Ottoman Empire for centuries before. Romania is bordered by Moldova, Ukraine, the Sable Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary. Bucharest is the capital of Romania. Transylvania and Moldavia constitute the northern half of the country. Romanias main attractions build Black Sea Coast, the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania. The Black Sea Coast is popular for its white sandy beaches further offers a perfect experience for families. The Carpathian Mountains are beautiful and covered by dense forests which offer skiing opportunities. There are many health resorts also in Romania. Transylvania is popular considering Romanian Spas which have been known for its lousy with healing powers. Local cheer specialty includes cuisines like ciorba de perisoare ( soup with meatballs ), ciorba tanancasca ( meat with vegetables ), lamb bors, giblet soup and a variety of fish soups.

Population & Languages

The population of Romania is around 22. 5 million and the official language being vocal is Romanian. The other popular languages are Hungarian and German.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plug used are round pin with attachment and ” Schuko ” contribute and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is located weight Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea between Bulgaria besides Ukraine. Existing is bordered by Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast further Bulgaria to the south. Carpathian Mountains pass through the center of Romania.

Climate

The climate of Romania onus be termed as Temperate and material has four seasons. While spring and autumn are cool again pleasant. Summers are very short and hot occurring in July also August. The winters can be harsh and cold with snowfall between December and March. The best months to visit Romania are May and June and September and October.

Local Customs

Handshaking is the common custom. It is also customary to kiss when being introduced to a woman. Mostly all normal European customs apply to Romania also. Dressing is conservative and casual. Searing is prohibited on conspicuous transportation vehicles and theaters. Romanians like smoking themselves and thus like if you gift them cigarettes. Tipping is 5 to 10 percent in restaurant, hotels and taxis.

Attractions

Bucharest: Once used to be known as Paris of the East the city of Bucharest is a city of lights bustling with cafes, night clubs and restaurants. It also has Romanian Opera House and a huge National Museum. The historic sites include the Palace of Parliament, Old Court Church and Athenee Palace Hotel.
Brasov: Not to be missed places are Castles in Transylvania which include Bran Castle, Rasnov Castle and also wind up miss to see Sighisoara about 90 miles from Brasov, the birth place of Vlad tepes.
Romanian Riviera: This is along the coast of Black Sea which is huge tourist attraction. It is also home to several resorts also Romanian spas famous for their healing powers.

Travel

By Air The national airline of Romania is Tarom. Many common airlines that fly to Bucharest consist of Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss. The biggest airport is Bucharest Otopeni Airport which is located like 10 miles north of the city.

By Sea Constanta is the major port on the Black Sea. Currently no ferries are being operated. But there are many cruises available which stop at assorted points of tourist interest like Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Bazias, Giurgiu, Calafat and Bucharest.

By Inveigh There is an international service to Bucharest from Western Europe which runs only in summer months i. e. from June to September, the name of the train service is Wiener Waltzer.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 200 gm tobacco
2. 200g cocoa and 200g coffee
3. Perfumes, medicines and souvenirs
4. Two cameras, One small movie camera, Twenty Four cassettes, One portable radio, One shot TV set, One tape recorder, One pair of binoculars and One typewriter.
5. Gifts up to 175

Prohibited Items
Un – canned goods, fast food or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, yamp further alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

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Travel Tips to European Countries: Italy

About the county

Italy, the birthplace of pasta and pizza provides a wide range of choices for artwork lovers to experience. A temperate climate exists here with very hot summers and not so cold winters. The weather is the best in spring and autumn curtain pleasant temperatures and scenic views. At that time of the year, the place isnt crowded much and things can be enjoyed in leisure. Incase of emergency call 112. For fire call 115 and for ambulance call 118.

Culture

Italian is widely spoken and is the validated language. English isnt very familiar to the locals. Family ties are of utmost importance here again hence social courtesies mean a society to the locals. There is a great impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the culture here. There is a high content of chlorine in tap waters, so bottled water is recommended for staying fit during the trip. Since Italian is spoken on a wide scale, it is remarkably recommended to learn few common Italian phrases which can be of great handling. Social gatherings call for formal wear, but one shot can dress in casuals otherwise. At some religious places, sleeveless shirt and shorts are frowned upon. Hence they are better avoided. Purses besides wallets should be bright-eyed jaundiced besides in case of any theft, police should be informed about the incident.

Site Seeing

The first thing to check out is the leaning tower of Pisa, where Olympics originated. At places like museums and art galleries, photography, especially flash photography is restricted. Check out the ticket counter for more information. Italy should be majorly discovered on foot for a thorough viewing of all the beautiful buildings again monuments. Coaches and trains are a good option to get to a tourist spot.

Shopping

Shops here are open from 9am to 8pm, closed seeing lunch. Quality of goods is great although the prices are very less. Items like crystals, lacework, leather nice, and jewelry can be bought at the stores. Remember to clout on to the receipt. Tipping of 10 % is customary along with the service tax levied on the bill. Italy is famous for top designers of the heavenly body, so do buy clothes and accessories to update your wardrobe. Cruises have formal gatherings in the evening, so make certain to buy a cocktail dress or some formal wear, though casuals power be worn at other times.

Electricity

The voltage used is 220 volts and 50 Hz frequency.

Getting there

Alitalia is the national airline of Italy. Many other flights connect to Italy from USA, Canada and Australia again there is whopping competition to attract passengers giving a wide range of offers to travelers. Rome airport is located 26 km away from the city and it takes 45 minutes to get there from the airport. Trains connect directly to Termini Station from where one can yield taxi to get to their purpose. Duty free shops, bank, car hire and restaurants are the other services provided at this airport. Milan has another bad airport here, which is at a distance of 45km instantly from the city.

Brindisi, Ancona, Naples and Venice are the major seaports of Italy. Italian State Railways connects many European cities. But, Eurostar provides the fastest train service.

If choosing to drive, dont forget to carry international driving license and international insurance certificate. Roads intermix Italy to France, Austria and Switzerland. Many coach services are provided from the neighboring countries.

Affliction Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 2liter of wine and 1liter of spirits ( over 22 per cent ) or 2liter of fortified or burning wine
3. 50g of perfume also 250ml of eau de toilette; 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract ( if over 15 years of age )
4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract
5. Gifts not exceeding 89. 96 ( if entering from an EU country ), 175 ( if entering from a non – EU country ).

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Travel Tips to European Countries: Belgium

About the Country

Belgium is situated in the west of Europe. The berth here mostly comprises of flat coastal plains in the northeast, and southeast is occupied by the Ardennes Forest. Dutch, Flemish, French and German are the official languages of Belgium, with Dutch being the widely spoken followed by French. The weather here is pretty predictable. Months from April to September are the warmest. Diverse the weather is pretty humid and skies are gray, that explains why umbrellas besides raincoats are a part of the dressing. So, if the visit is planned for holidays during the rainy season, one must not forget to carry sufficient cover for maximum protection, as this is a coastal girdle. Imprint case of emergency call 100 or 112.

Culture

Belgians are English – convivial and will make every attempt to speak in English with a foreigner. Always remember to carry a small gift or at least flowers especially when invited over dinner. The dress to slack will be mentioned in the invitation, when invited for a party. Smoking in public is acceptable.

Shopping

Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ostend, Namur, Mons, Lige, Ghent and Mechelen are the main shopping centers. Belgium is famous for ceramics and benefit – beaten copperware from Dinant, laces from Bruges, crystals from Val Saint Lambert, woodcarvings from Spa and Belgiums finest chocolates. In jewelry, diamonds from Antwerp are on high demand.

Eating Out

The specialty of most of the restaurants is horse and rabbit meat dishes. Although visitors can find a wide range of ethnic foods, but the most famous are frites and mayonnaise and mitraillette; mitraillette is a large bun filled with fries, donair meat and garlic sauce, the vegetarians can ask since a veg. substitute for the donair meat. While eating at a restaurant, tipping is considered customary along with the value – added tariff. At the cinemas, leave a 0. 50 tip for the attendant and 0. 25 after using the public toilets.

Electricity

Voltage is 230 V again frequency is 50 Hz.

Travel

Delta Air Transport has inaugurated its new European airline SN Brussels Airlines recently. It flies to larger than 58 destinations in Europe and as well as worldwide. The Brussels Zayentem airport is twelve km from the city and it takes 35 magazine to grasp the city from the airport. The airport has facilities analogous duty free shops, car parking, taxi booking, car hiring, banks, post office, restaurants, and medical help. Internet and fax services are provided as the passengers. The Airport City Express train transports passengers to three main railway stations – Brussels North, At ease and South. One can avail a bus which runs regularly from the airport, taxis can also be hired which wait outside the arrival hall. Tipping the taxi drivers is witting customary. Train runs every 15 minutes.

Another airport, Brussels South Charleroi, is 5 km away from Charleroi and 46 km from Brussels. Ryan air serves as the local airline here and has cheap deals for contrastive European destinations to and from Charleroi. The facilities provided here are bus and train services, caf, car hire, and duty free shops.

Ostend airport is 5 km away from the city and car parking, car hire, duty free shops, and restaurants are provided here.

Antwerp airport is just 2 km away from the community. Buses drop to the Brussels Central Station every few minutes.

Liege is situated at a distance of 5 km away from the city. Buses run at regular interval here.

The departure impost at Brussels Zayentem is 20. 93, Brussels South Charleroi is 3. 49, Ostend and Antwerp is 10, and at Liege is 7.

There is a network of high – speed trains, which are operated by Thalys, from Belgium to France, connecting Brussels with other destinations like Bordeaux, Chambry, Cannes, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, Valence Perpignan, and Rennes. Booking should be made in advance for these trains. The national railway operates through outmost the day providing service every few minutes to destinations such as Andorra, Austria, France, Czech, Germany, Italy, Poland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands. Insiders can avail the Inter – Rail act which allows visitors to travel almost 29 European Countries. This service is valid for residents who own been settled known for more than 6 months.

Duty Free Items

Visitors can transact alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, coffee and tea off-track getting customs duty levied on them, but individual the goods should be limited. Check out for the limits before carrying such goods. Food items that are not preserved are better avoided.

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