Click for Slideshow

If you’ve already done the requisite cities of Europe such as London, Paris and Rome you might think of expanding your horizons and plan a visit to Budapest in Hungary. Not as well know as some of the other European Capitals but definitely worth a visit.
Budapest is actually 3 cities with the legendary Danube running between them, you have Buda on the hilly side and north of that is Obuda and on the other side of the river is Pest which is as flat as Buda is hilly, but back in the late 1800’s Budapest became the city it is today.

Probably the most well known is Castle Hill and the Castle District, however you’ll need the funicular to transport you up the hill as there are really no roads. At the top is where you’ll find the Royal Palace, Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church, Holy Trinity Square, National Hungarian  Gallery, Budapest History Museum and the Vienna Gate among others.

Between Castle Hill and the river is what’s known as Watertown with its aged peaceful lanes, and many churches such as Taban Parish Church, St. Elizabeth Church, St. Anne’s church, Chapel of St. Florian and Capuchin Church.

Crossing either the Chain Bridge or Margaret’s Bridge will lead you to the Pest side where you can visit a myriad of old neighborhoods such as the Jewish District, Pest Inner City, Theresa Town and Leopold where you’ll find the Houses of Parliament, Freedom Square, Inner City Market Hall and the State Opera House.

If you’d like a day out of the city, a visit to Szentendre is a great place, especially during the summer where it becomes a huge handcraft and souvenir market. You can stroll along the Danube, have café in a small coffee house and shop till you drop for all kinds of fun items from Hungary such as antiques, coins, folk craft, porcelain and pottery and don’t forget to bring back the Hungarian Paprika.

If you’d like help planning your travel to Budapest, please call Totem Travel and ask for Jennefer, the Europe Expert at 800-321-7907 or jennefer@totemtravel.com

 
Click for Slideshow

 Austria- Europe’s home to Strauss, the waltz and world famous Vienna Boy’s Choir-

Vienna is one of Europe’s easiest cities to explore, with a compact city center that is surrounded by the Ringstrasse (ring road), and like Paris it has boroughs or districts that circle out from there.

In the city center proper you’ll find such treasures as St. Stephens Cathedral, it’s one of the city’s landmarks and one of Europe’s supreme examples of Gothic building from the 14th century. Entering through the Giant’s Doorway you could spend hours inside seeing the tombs and sarcophagus’ of kings and emperors as well as towers, monuments, chapels and altars all dating from different times and added as each leader or king deemed important. I’ve found that one of the best views of the interior is from beneath the organ loft and if you can visit on a sunny day the stained glass is phenomenal.

Vienna is known for its music and no visit to Vienna would be complete without a visit to the Opera House. Opened in the 1860’s then almost destroyed in 1945 from a direct hit during a bombing raid, it was rebuilt and re-opened in 1955. The main entrance opens onto the Ringstrasse and is decorated with beautiful frescos of life at the opera.

Moving along with the musical theme, we’ve all heard of the Vienna Boy’s Choir or the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, not to mention Strauss and Mozart, Vienna’s favorite composers. Those are just a couple examples of Vienna’s love of music and don’t forget that those who don’t play can still be a part of the music by dancing the Viennese Waltz.

Vienna is also known for the Spanish Riding School, it takes place in Hofburg Palace from March to June and again September to December. Throughout Europe and the world, admirers of classical riding will go to great lengths for the sought after tickets which must be reserved in advance. During the off times, tickets are available to watch morning the training sessions.

Vienna is home to many coffee houses and cafés that could put Starbucks to shame. A great place to try some Viennese coffee is at the Sacher Hotel where you can try the renowned Sachertorte invented in 1832 and still made and served the same today as well as shipped worldwide.

Just outside Vienna you’ll find Schönbrunn Palace and its beautiful park. Schönbrunn was intended to outshine Versailles and it comes close so you’ll want to spend at least a half day there exploring the palace and grounds.

This is just a taste of what is offered in and around Vienna, you can see it on your own or maybe as part of an escorted tour. Either way you decide to travel, if you’re thinking of exploring Austria and Vienna contact Jennefer, the Europe Specialist at Totem Travel – jennefer@totemtravel.com.

Click here for Slideshow

Italy is one of the most romantic countries anywhere and Rome has to be one of the most exciting cities in the world.  What a combination!

When asked to describe Rome I’d respond by saying its loud, fast paced, disorganized, somewhat dirty and has a real traffic problem.  Yet, in the same breath I’ll say it’s spectacular, animated, full of stunning architectural and artistic feats and a place I’d return to again and again. That’s Rome, a bit of everything and who can beat that?

Known as the Eternal City because it has survived for nearly 3000 years, even when it was founded in the 700’s it was a place that drew travelers. As noted the architecture is on a grand scale; starting with the Colosseum and Pantheon and onto St. Peter’s Basilica, places like that just aren’t built these days. There are so many ruins to explore; The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus and Trajan’s Market, all mingled in with 21st century life that it seems surreal.

A visit to Rome brings to mind the Vatican and St Peters Basilica, the Pope, Sistine Chapel and certainly the Vatican museums, not to be missed.

When you are tired of the big you can stroll through Piazza Navona, on past Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps and maybe up to Via Veneto for world class shopping or a walk in the Borghese Gardens.

Rome has something for everyone and a lot for most of us. History, art and architecture, churches, cathedrals and basilicas, museums, night life, great food, and lots of other options you can choose. If you’d like more info on travel to Rome, please call Jennefer at Totem Travel and I’ll tell you more.

Click for Slideshow

The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, San Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, where else can you find all of this?  Why of course it’s none other than Paris, France and since I just returned from a study tour where I became a Certified France Agent, I thought I’d tell you a bit about it.
 
Paris has long been known as the city of light, a great place to be in the spring time, a city of fashion, a city of art and a very easy city to sightsee and navigate in.

I love the night life, like Moulin Rouge, or strolling down the Champs Elysees to see the Arc lit up at night.
Daytime brings museums like the Musee de Cluny, the Louvre, the Pompidou Center or Musee Picasso, take your pick as there is a museum for every taste and any kind of art.

Don’t forget the Churches and Cathedrals, there are those mentioned above as well as others such as St. Sulpice made more famous by author Dan Browns ‘Da Vinci Code.’
 
For a break in your day, why not stop at Angelina’s for world famous hot chocolate and a fabulous French pastry, or the stop into the Welcome Café for some Crepes Sucre or Crème Brule?e and a Café au lait, both are across from the Tulleries along the Rue De Rivoli.
 
And lastly, don’t forget to stroll along the Left Bank and just enjoy the sights of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

I’ll return to Paris again as there are always new things to see and in the meantime, please call if you need help with your travel plans to France, because you get “Personalized help from a travel expert at no extra cost” when you call Totem Travel.

Jennefer~

I recently attended a Scotland seminar and am excited to tell you about “Homecoming Scotland” and “The Gathering in Scotland” which both take place in 2009!

 “Homecoming Scotland” will be a year long celebration of Scotland’s past, present and future. It started with the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, one of Scotland favorite writers, and has been expanded to the theme “Scotland is the home of”.

Of course Scotland is the home of Robert Burns. It’s also the Home of Whisky with numerous distilleries throughout the country, the Home of Golf with courses almost everywhere including famous St. Andrews and Carnoustie and its the Home of Ancestry withmillions of Americans tracing their history back to Scottish roots.

“The Gathering” will be the summer of 2009 with hundreds of Clans in attendance. Those Scottish Americans that join them can try on the kilt of their clan or explore their clan castle and The New Register House Edinburgh would be a great place to begin that search.

Scotland is known worldwide for the Highland games, the International Festival and of course the Military Tattoo which takes place each August. So with the announcement of Homecoming Scotland you can count on all these wonderful events plus many additional festivals throughout 2009.

If you’d like to learn more about The Gathering and Homecoming Scotland, I hope you’ll keep an eye on this blog. If you’d like more information about a vacation or honeymoon in Scotland please call. I’m a certified SCOTSmaster and would love you help you experience the country.

Jennefer

There are so many different way to experience Europe! In my years of travel and especially since I started working at Totem Travel I’ve been to most every Western European country and some Eastern European countries as well.
I’ve toured independently using the train, I’ve been on escorted tours, I’ve been hosted by tourism boards and I’ve done city hops and stays on my own. Each type of travel has its good points and different types seem right at different times, so let’s talk about some of the options.

Hosted touring is a little different than escorted tours in that it includes transportation, accommodations, daily breakfast and sightseeing, but you will travel from place to place on your own using pre-arranged rail or bus. At each hotel there will be a host that will take you on a sightseeing excursion or two, answer questions and make suggestions of other things to see & do. However there will be a different host in each city you visit and you’ll also be on your own for most lunches and dinners. This type of touring has a basic structure but leaves more free time and flexibility to do as you please.

Independent touring is what the name suggests – you’re on your own. We often recommend hotel reservations that include daily breakfast and pre-planned transportation between cities via rail or car rental. As an option, we can also plan day tours to avoid long lines for popular attractions and museums, but you will be on your own schedule. You can stay wherever you’d like for as long as you’d like and what you do in between is totally up to you!

I’ve written in the past about escorted tours which are a great value and certainly worry free. Everything is taken care of from accommodations to sightseeing, meals and baggage plus you have the full time services of a guide to help with the language and any special services you might need. Escorted tours are available worldwide and range from a few days in length to more than a month long and everything in between. A few of my favorite tour companies are featured on our Europe page. Just click on Globus or Trafalgar for descriptions and details on their tours and read my earlier posts for more info.

For any type of travel to Europe I hope you’ll call or email us atlinda@totemtravel.com.  Our next Europe Night is October 3rd at 6p so please join us!