This was published 9 years ago
Tips and advice: The Tripologist
Tips and advice: The Tripologist
City hopping: Enjoy the sights of Paris including the pyramid at the Louvre.Credit: AP
MY WIFE AND I AND A COUPLE OF FRIENDS ARE VISITING MAINLAND EUROPE IN JUNE FOR AROUND SIX NIGHTS. WE'D LIKE TO STAY TWO OR THREE NIGHTS IN TWO DIFFERENT CITIES WITH A TRAIN TRIP IN BETWEEN. WHICH WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
D. GETHINGS, ST PETERS
My perfect pairing would be Paris and Amsterdam. These are two varied and hugely enjoyable cities, whether your interests are art, food, architecture, history, street life or just stumbling around in a daze, which is what I usually do. They're sufficiently different to keep you entertained and stimulated yet they're close. The fastest trains take just over three hours to travel from one to the other, and they're frequent. For example you could take an evening train, to make the best possible use of your time.
Stepping out: Guangzhou (China) International Airport has a hotel nearby where you can relax and recuperate between flights.Credit: Alamy
Another prime option would be Rome and Venice, less than four hours apart aboard the fastest trains.
You can find information about high-speed train services in northern Europe and make bookings on the Thalys website (thalys.com), or here in Australia at Rail Europe (raileurope.com.au).
I HAVE SIX HOURS AT GUANGZHOU AIRPORT BETWEEN FLIGHTS. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PASS THE TIME? IS THERE A PAY-FOR-USE LOUNGE?
C. MUNRO, WOLLSTONECRAFT
Six hours is a little tight to get into Guangzhou city and back, and depending on the time of day, this might not be feasible. The airport terminal itself is not especially well-suited to medium-long layovers for passengers who do not have access to a business-class lounge but salvation lies just outside the doors. A short stroll away is the Pullman Hotel Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (pullmanhotels.com), and according to Ada Huang of the hotel's reservation office, the hotel opens its arms and all its facilities to travellers, without requiring them to book a room. You could kick back with a Thai massage in the hotel's spa, maybe kill more time with a beauty treatment, swim some laps in the outdoor heated pool or have a meal in one of the hotel's restaurants.
You'll need to pass through immigration to leave the terminal but since your stay is short, you can take advantage of the 72-hour visa-free transit that China extends to Australian passport holders. If you plan to make use of the spa or have any further questions, send an email or do as Ada Huang suggests and call the hotel's guest service centre on +86 0203 6068 866.
I'M PLANNING A TRIP TO EUROPE IN MID 2016 WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO KIDS WHO WILL BE 10 AND 12. WE WILL BE ON A BUDGET AND KEEN TO STAY IN SOME CITIES AND VILLAGES FOR UP TO A WEEK. A ONE-WEEK CRUISE OR A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TRIP COULD BE FUN FOR US ALL, AND GIVE ME A BREAK FROM DAY-TO-DAY ORGANISING, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST AND SUITABILITY FOR THE CHILDREN. I WAS THINKING OF A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE OR WALK IN THE FRENCH ALPS. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
K. HAWKINS, NEWCASTLE
A Mediterranean cruise is a great idea for a family. You can relax without worrying about meals or packing, you wake up each morning to a fresh and wonderful bit of our world to explore and there's plenty to keep those kids occupied. Prices for a seven-night cruise start at around $700 each with cruise lines such as Norwegian (norwegiancruiseline.com.au) or Costa (costacruise.com). There are plenty of backdrops to choose from but the critical choice is between the eastern and western Mediterranean. Keep your eye on what happens with prices during the middle of this year. This should give you some indication of whether you should book in advance or wait for last-minute specials.
Walking is another wonderful idea but rather than France, my pick would be the Dolomites region of northern Italy. The region has a network of trails that unspool through forests and green meadows at the foot of steel-coloured peaks. It feels like walking through a postcard and there's heaps of choice, short walks as well as longer ones.
A couple of years ago I spent several days at a fine little family-operated hotel, Drei Birken (dreibirken.it), in a hamlet on a spiralling road above Bolzano. It was great value and the owners really go the extra yards to help people make the most of the gorgeous area, and their home-cooked food is sensational. You'll make things easier for yourselves if you take the package that includes breakfast and dinner. This summer, a room with breakfast and dinner at Drei Birken for a week costs €392 each and there's a special deal for children. On days when you're out on the trail you can eat at one of the rifugi, mountain huts that dole out substantial meals to hikers. There are plenty more accommodation choices at the South Tyrol website (sudtirol.com). Essential guide is Shorter Walks in the Dolomites published by Cicerone (cicerone.co.uk), and you would need a hire car. Bolzano is a fairytale city with plenty of cafes, and a market that happens every day except Sunday. Tell the kids to look up the website of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (iceman.it) – amazing!
CONVERSATION
The question was "There are plenty of travel bloggers airing their finds out there in cyberspace these days. Any that you follow?"
G. Baldwin writes "I follow Aussie in France (aussieinfrance.com), written by an Australian woman who married a Frenchman 20+ years ago and lived in Paris but they have now retired to a lovely house in The Loire Valley. Also Canvas & Wheels (canvasandwheels.com), by a couple who cycled from London to Sydney via Europe and Asia, and are now cycling south to north in Africa as they make their way back to London. They put wonderful photos on their blog as they travel. I believe they are now in Ethiopia. Well worth a look."
"I'm a fan of Classe Touriste (classetouriste.be)," according to D. Rayner, "the photography is inspirational. It's a rose-tinted view of the world but for armchair travel it's a great trip."
From P. Barton, "I follow Legal Nomad, she goes to interesting places, keeps her eyes open, stays for a long time and she's into food in a big way. Also there's no advertising on her blog and the author discloses it when she's taken a press trip, which makes me think she's more reliable than the cash-for-comment operation of some bloggers."
"Erik Gauger's Notes from the Road (notesfromtheroad.com)," writes P. Lee. "The author makes most of his images on an old-fashioned large-format camera, which produces awesome landscapes, but also because the writing is ruminative and rambling. He follows his instincts and his interests and sets off, sometimes on weird tangents, which might be searching for handmade cheeses in Spain and Portugal. He isn't trying to tell you how great a place is, he's telling you what's real about it, how it feels on the ground. It's a refreshing style of travel writing."
Next question: GPS devices are a must-have when you're driving overseas, but they can lead you into strange places. Any stories to share?
Send response to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au. The best response will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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