Rome, Italy On a Budget The ROMA Pass

For all of you who want to visit Rome on a budget! Here we have to talk about the Roma Pass. 

 

This is an integrated card that serves you both for the Museums and the public transport. It costs 25 Euro. The card can be bought from Enjoy Rome, all the major Museums and Archeologial sites and the Tourist Information Points with the exception of the Vatican.

Gardens in the Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy

The ROMA Pass can be used for three days starting from the first use til the midnight of the third day.

at the Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy

The ROMA Pass gives you the right to enter for free in two Museums or Archeological sites. /Exception for the Vatican Museums; The Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill count together as one site/. After you visit the two places the cadr gives you discounts on any further participating museums, sites, exhibitions. The card can serve you to enter the Galleria Borghese, but you still have to reserve tickets the usual way.

Inside the Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Last but not least - The ROMA Pass lets you use all the public transport during these three days for free!!!

Museums of Rome on a budget - tips needed!!

St.Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy

Discounts:  Most of the Museums and Archeological sites offer a discount for EU residents under the age of 18, or over 65, also for EU students up to 26. EU schoolteachers also have a discount, but don't forget to bring some document with you to prove you are such person. The Vatican Museums offer a discount for all the students under 26, the children under 18, but there is no discount for people over 65's.

 

The Coliseum on the inside, Rome, Italy

The Gold Ball in the courtyard of the Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy

Inside St.Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy

There is one very interesting fact - every last sunday on the month everybody can enter for free in:

- The Vatican Museums

- The Sistine Chapel

- Capitoline Museums

- Trajan's Market

- The Pantheon - it is always free of crarge

The sunset seen from the Gianicolo Hill, Rome, Italy

Something that you have to be familiar with is The ROMA Pass. Click here to learn all about it.

Important tips about the transport in Rome - hop-on, hop-off tour buses, Italy Part 2

An open-air hop-on, hop-off tour bus, Rome, Italy

Something you have to be aware of when you go to Rome are the hop-on, hop-off tour buses. There are plenty of companies offering open-air tour buses. Reliable are the "110 open" and the "Archeobus". For example if you use "110 open" the ticket is valid 24 hours. It costs 24 euro, there are discounts for ROMA Pass holders and for children 6-12, 15 euro. The buses start the tour from Termini every 20 minutes, the whole tour takes two hours and works from 8.30am to 8.30pm.

More information about the hop-on, hop-off tour buses you can find here:
 http://www.trambusopen.com/it/home.cfm

The Coliseum/Colosseo/, Rome, Italy

The Coliseum on the inside, Rome, Italy

View to the St.Peter's Cathedral from Gianicolo Hill, Rome, Italy

Important tips about the public transport in Rome, Italy Part 1

The Trevi Fountain, Rome Italy

For those of you who like to travel well informed and travelling on a budget is good alternative, have to know many things. Among them the information and tips about public transport is very important. When you go to Rome you have to know:

National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Rome, Italy

First - Rome has an integrated transport system. Tickets can be used for every transport - buses, metro and trams.The regular price is €1  and can are valid for 75 minutes after they are first stamped. During these 75 minutes you are free to use whatever combination of transport you want. Tickets can be bought from the newsstands, the tabacchi and at the metro stations.

Ruins of Domus Augustana on Palatin Hill, Rome, Italy

Second -You can buy yourself a 1-day pass for €4. It can be used from the moment the ticket is stamped until the midnight of the same day. There is also available a 3-day pass that costs €11. A 7-day pass costs €16.

Third - the Metro - The two line Metro system goes around the historic centre and in my opinion is really useful. In the moment there is a construction work on a third line. As it is not ready yet the main stops for the central sites are:

Spagna /Line A/ - for Piazza di Spagna, Villa Borghese
Ottaviano /Line A/ - for St.Peter's and Vatican Museums
Barberini /Line A/ - for the Trevi Fountain
Flaminio /Line A/ - for Piazza del Popolo, Villa Borghese
Colosseo /Line A/ - for Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill

The Coliseum/Colosseo/, Rome, Italy

See all the information about the hop-on, hop-off tour buses in the Part 2 of this article.

For the information about the ROMA Pass Click here.

Tips - find a hotel in Rome, Italy

Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy

Many of you may wonder where to stay when visiting Rome. Finding a nice hotel with good location may be very difficult and even annoying. I will try to make it easy for you and give you some links with great hotel info database that will really help you find what you search - a cheap hotel, a very good hotel, a hotel with great location, a hotel with awsome view or all af that in one according to your taste.

Statue of Neptune, Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy

List with links:

 http://www.rentalinrome.com/

http://www.eurobookings.com/search.html?q=rmcnf:1[2,0];dsti:3023;dstt:1;cur:EUR;sort:0_desc;frm:9;

St. Peter's Basilica /San Pietro/, Rome, Italy

Taxi tips for Rome, Italy

Fontana della Barcaccia/Fountain of the old boat/, Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy

When you go on a trip, you have to know some things in order to be prepared and not to waste time. As one of my favourite destinations is Italy, I will give you some tips that you're gonna need when going in Rome. In particular i can list some links for you concerning the transportation in the city:

- link about the taxis: http://www.viviromaintaxi.eu/index-eng.php

/Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II - The Altare della Patria/, The National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Rome, Italy

- link with the official taxi stands: http://www.agenziamobilita.roma.it/attachments/075_postazioni_taxi.pdf

- link with the price rates, the fixed rates to the airport and the zones they apply to: http://www.3570.it/tariffe/archivio/tariffario_taxi_luglio_2012.pdf

The Arc of Constantine, Rome, Italy

10 Museum Tips for Paris

For all  who don't like to travel  unprepared - there are some useful tips when being in Paris.  When visiting museums and monuments everybody wants to see as many as possible. That can be difficult to happen - we all know they can be crowded, overwhelming and expensive. Here are 10 tips that can help you in making the planned a reality. These tips make your sightseeing smooth, effective, sometimes even cheaper:

Sacre Coeur, crowds, Paris, France

1. Visit some of the museums at night:

Louvre - wednesday and Friday works till 10pm.

Musee dÓrsay - Thursday till 9.45pm.

Quai de Branly - Thursday till 9.30pm. 

Palais de Tokio - till 11.30pm every day except for Mondays. 

Paris Opera House, France

2. Visit some of the pleces early in the day:

Louvre opens at 9.00am, so you can be one of the first to see mona Lisa for the day.

3. Free Admission:

Many museums in Paris are with no pass every first Sunday on the month.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

A list with these museums with free admission every first Sunday of the month the whole year you ca see here: http://travellingabroad-ideas.blogspot.com/2011/12/paris-tips-list-of-paris-free-museums.html

4. Don't mistake the Metro tation for the Louvre:

The Metro Station for the Louvre is not Louvre - rivoli, but Palais Royal - Musee de Louvre off the 1 & 9 lines.

5. Fast tickets:

Inside the Carrousel of Louvre - the shopping corner, there is a Tabac. You can buy tickets. On Tuesdays it is closed.

View to Paris

6.Very good idea is to buy tickets in advance or a Museum Pass:

You can purchase tickets in advance on Internet  for most of the museums.

Museum Passes can be used in more than 50 museums in the city and the surroundings. They are available in most of the museums.

Prices:

2 day pass - 30 Euros

4 day pass - 45 Euros

6 day pass - 60 Euros

You can see for more information on the official site:     www.Parismuseumpass.com

If you want to buy the tickets and have them delivered to your home or hotel / with an additional fee  of course/ see here:    http://www.gotoparis.net/musee.html

 

7. Many small museums are with free admission.

8.Use Guided Tours for Louvre, Versailles, Musee d'Orsay:

The best way to see the Louvre, Versailles and Musee dÓrsay and to receive good and efficient information is to hire Guide. This may be a private or groupe course.

9.The Best View to Paris at Notre Dame:

If you climb 250 steps you will get to the bell tower where Quasimodo rang the bells. Some say this is the place with the best view to Paris. Here can be seen mostly the older part of the city.

Notre Dame Gargoyle, Paris, France

 10. Fastest way to enter to the Eiffel Tower:

An easy way to entry the Eiffel Tower and avoid the lines is to visit the  Altitude 95 Restaurant on the first floor. You should definitely make reservation in advance.

Paris Tips - List of the Paris Free Museums on first Sunday of the month

Free on 1st Sunday of the month, all year round

In Paris:

• Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou – 4^th
• Musée de l'Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris – 5^th
• Musée national des Arts asiatiques Guimet – 16^th
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature – 3^th
• Musée national Eugène Delacroix – 6^th
• Musée Gustave Moreau - 9^th
• Musée national Ernest Hebert – 6^th (closed for renovation)
• Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner – 17^th
• Musée du Louvre – 1^st
• Musée national du Moyen Âge - Thermes de Cluny – 5^th
• Musée national de l'Orangerie – 1^st
• Musée d'Orsay – 7^th
• Musée national Picasso – 3^rd
• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine – 16^th
• Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration – 12^th
• Musée du Quai Branly – 7^th
• Musée Rodin – 7^th

In Ile-de-France:

• Musée d'Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye – 78
• Musée départemental Albert-Kahn - 92
• Maison d'Auguste Rodin à Meudon - 92
• Musée des années 30 - 92
• Musée national du Château de Compiègne - 60
• Musée national de la coopération franco-américaine - Château de Blérancourt - 02 (closed for renovation)
• Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs – 78
• Musée national du Château de Fontainebleau – 77
• Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau - 92
• Musée national de Céramique – Sèvres – 92
• Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d'Ecouen – 95

Travel wisely -Skip the annoying and time-eating Museum Lines - Paris, London, Berlin

Most of the travellers have limited time to enjoy their holiday, three ot four days stay in Paris for example. So, all of them want to spend time wisely. Every tourist want to see as many as possible places, such as monuments, museums, to visit some bars or cafes, to grab s.th to eat in a hurry, and to sit in some nice restaurant the next time. Everybody knows the program is lond, the time short, so a tip for skipping all or at least some of the annoying museum lines will be very useful. 

Musee de Louvre, Paris, France

Musee de Louvre, Paris, France

Paris is a city with Museum card or pass for example. They usually provide you free or discounted entry in the top spots, and the best and most important - most of the times they permit you skip the lines. This is awesome. 

Here  i want to note that such pass can be also used in cities like London and Berlin too. 

 

British Museum, London

British Museum, London

Natural History Museum, London

Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany

In Paris, when visiting Louvre this pass can save you hours. The same applies to many more famous spots - The Eiffel Tower is such a place. I personally have visited it, no having such a card, waited with hours.  If back then I knew this tip, i would take advantage of it. That's what people have called "Money well spent".

Paris on a budget, Discover Walks - new, perfect, pleasant and even free way to get to know one of the most beautiful cities in world - Paris, Places to visit

Recently two young man / Alexandre Gourevich - Paris native and Jim Jotgensen - Californian/ decided to start a wonderful activity. Guided tours - a way to show you the city in its real atmosphere, the way a native knows the city. They now have staff, called City Guides. They offer you an amazing experience - exciting, special tour round the city, memory you would bring home with you. City Guides make the walk informative, fun and also personal. They often use their own experience in the effort to show you the real life in Paris. So, this is my tip for you  travellers in order to make your stay in Paris even more unforgettable.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

France, Paris, Le Consulat, a perfect place to have a coffee, if you only knew about the place....

The regular tours are for free. These people only accept tips from content customers as a way to earn the living. All of you can join. Tours start and end at majot city landmarks.

The tours are held in English. 

Librarie Shakespeare and Co, Paris, France

 

Kinds of Tours and hours:

Paris Landmarks / Right Bank Tour /   10am every day.

Notre Dame and the Heart  of Paris /  1pm every day.

Montmartre / Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur / 11am every day.
Left Bank / latin Quartier/ 2.30pm every day.
Trendy Marais / 2.30pm every day.

France, Paris, le Marais, night walk

Of coarse, there are paid courses too. You can get a private one - Family tour, Group and School Tours and others.

In my opinion this is a wonderful opportunity. This is why i decided to share it with you. That way you can make your trip to Paris even more full and exciting.

Relais Christine Paris, located in Latin Quartier, St-Germain-des-Pres, narrow street on the left Bank, Paris, France

Avenue of the cat that fishes

Art entrance to the Metro, Latin Quartier, Paris, France

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/wonderdog1/AvignonToParis

Les Trois Maillets, jazz club with many artist performances, first open as a Cabaret, Latin Quartier, Paris, France

View to the Eiffel Tower from the  restaurant in the Musee d'Órsay, Paris, France

Quartier Latin, Paris, France

Santa Claus Village, Finland - Wonderful place to visit during the winter holidays

Santa Claus Village, Lapland, Finland

As Christmas is approaching, I think a lot about Finland and even more about The Santa Claus Village. If you're planning to travel somewhere for the winter holidays this is a great place to visit. There are  four seasons, but  winter is the time of the year when Finland is most beautiful. It's essential to say that you have to be prepared for a really cold weather. As this is a small country, you will be able to visit a great number of cities. What you should not miss is The Santa Claus Village in Lapland. This is definitely a must-see place. There you will be busy all the time, don't worry not having an activities while being in Lapland. Don't miss the wonderful white landscapes, the Northern Lights.

Santa Claus Village, Lapland, Finland

Santa Claus Village, Lapland, Finland

Santa Claus Village, Finland

Santa Claus Village, near Rovaniemi, Finland

Tips you will find useful while being in Lapland: experience skiing and snowboarding, snowmobile safari, visit the Santa Claus Village - Santa Claus tour. This is a family tour. First you will be taken to a real reindeer farm, this includes reindeer sled ride. After that you will participate in the special ceremony to celebrate while crossing the Arctic Circle, and then snowmobiles will be on your disposal. Next is the visit to Santa Claus Village. This is amazing experince, especially for children. Here you can use special santa stamps and send mail via Santa's Post Office. Santa's workshop is open to visit. Other good tip for you is to book the Santa Claus Safari in advance.