What to know before traveling to Finland

About Finland

What can we say about Finland. It is a country full of forests and islands. The capital city is called Helsinki. We can find a lot of touristic attractions in the city such as museums or galleries. During summers, you will have sun 24/7 and it is the opposite in winter.

What is the Culture

Handshaking is the way you greet someone in Finland. You will see that people are a bit closed, it is not that they are being unfriendly. If you visit someone and enter his house, you need to take your shoes off, it is very common for people in the country to do so. When you come at the table, wait for the toast, your host will say kippis and then you can start eating. Try to dress casually as the people there are dressing in that way all the time.

Travel spots in Finland

Many airlines can fly to Finland. The national airline is called Finnair. When you go there you will probably arrive at the Helsinki airport. It is about 19km away from the city. Normaly, it will take you around 25 by car. If you don’t have car at your arrival date, you can take the Finnair bus at the airport or you can take a taxi to the city. You will have everything at the airport. You will have the duty free shops as all the other airports in the world plus you can book your hotel there, you can book a rental car you will have the possibility to eat at a really good restaurant and you have several banks.

Flying directly to Finland is not the only way to get there. If you want some adventures, you can try to go by sea. You will have a little boat trip from one country of your choice to Finland. You can also book ferry services if that is in your wish list during your vacation. You can go to the following port: Rostock, Kapellskär, Grisslehamn, and Travemünde. You will have many options for your room. You can have small cabins or large cabins with all the amenities you can dream of.

A third option will be the trains. You can book a train ticket in Moscow and get directly to Finland. This option is very interesting because you will see some landscape and you will travel in comfort. Like in many of our other posts, we always say that train will give you the best ratio considering price and comfort .

Finally, there is the old road-trip. I can tell you that you can face many stuff if you go by road. You can see some elk and sometimes you will see reindeer as well. On the road, you are ridding on the right side of the line. When you travel by road, no need to bring cash for gas because they accepts credit cards. Like all the countries, you should always respect the driving rules. Before your road-trip, make sure that you have your international driver license with you and the car insurance as well. Remember that, in Finland, most of the year will be chill weather. If you are more interested in Reading posts for the most visited city in Europe, feel free to read our post about travelling in Paris.

Travelling to Austria

About the Country

Located in central Europe, Austria celebrates world’s best music festivals like the Salzburg Festival, Haydn Festival in Vienna, and the International Chamber Music Festival. Vienna is the capital of Austria as well as the musical capital of Europe. Music and art are in full flare here after centuries of hardship and innovation. That explains Vienna being the birthplace of Mozart. Horse dances are also part of these festivals. Since it snows in winter, the snow covered Alps is a must be visited place during the winter. Austria experiences a moderate summer. Rains can be expected year round. Incase of emergency call 120 or 123.

Site seeing

The romantic castles simply leave you astounded. The Schloss Durnstein provides a magnificent view besides the River Danube. A 10% tip should be paid to the taxi drivers, which is customary here.

Culture

German, Hungarian, Slovene, and Croatian are the languages spoken by the locals. To greet the locals, a handshake will do. When meeting someone for the first time, its better to refer them by their last name, but once better known they can be addressed by the first name. When out in the public, say Guten Tag or Gruss Gott to greet people and while leaving say Auf Wiedersehen. Carry along flowers when going over to someone’s house. The locals here have a passion for horse riding. The world’s best art of horsemanship can be found here which is as old as 400 years and to watch the horses perform at these schools; tickets must be booked in advance. Although service charge is levied on restaurant bills, an extra 5% should be paid as tip.

Getting there

Three national airlines operate in Austria, Austrian Arrows, Austrian Airlines and Lausda Air, which work in collaboration with the Austrian Airlines Group. The Vienna airport is 18 km away from the city. Airport buses transport passengers to the South Train and West Train Station. Railway, chauffeur-driven car and taxi service is also provided at the airport. Duty free shops, post office, bank, eateries, left luggage, tourism information, conference hall, nursery, car hiring and car parking facilities are provided to the passengers at the airport.
Salzburg airport is 4 km away from the city and buses, trains, taxis and hotel coach shuttle passengers to and from the airport. Facilities such as duty free shops, post office, currency exchange, left luggage, conference hall, restaurants and car hire exist at the airport. Check out the other airports such as Klagenfurt airport, Graz airport and Linz airport for more details. All the airports charge a fixed rate for porter service.

International tourists can get to Austria by Austrian Federal railways, if planning to travel by train. It has a large network which connects the major cities within Austria and also outside Austria. Travelers can find connections to/from Germany, Russia, Greece, Romania, Turkey Brussels, Paris and Italy. International rail passes or Eurail pass can be bought to travel around Austria as they provide unlimited travel and other offers too.

A good network of roads here provides an interesting journey. Take Eurotunnel when crossing the Channel Tunnel while traveling by car. Bookings should be made in advance. The cars can be hired at the airports and railway stations and if driving own car carry documentations like UK driving license or national driving license and car registration papers. Toll booths are installed on the motorways and ‘S’ roads, so if change is carried in advance it will ensure no delays in the journey. Registration documents should be carried along all the time while driving. The lights should be turned on while driving, in the city or outside, all the time. There are strict laws for seat belts and drinking while driving. If using the motorbike, high visibility jacket and helmet must be worn, it’s a compulsion for both the passenger and the driver. Many federal, private companies and local authorities provide bus service. Coaches are provided for moving around within the cities.

Wurm and Kock provide cruise passenger service. Along with the cruise trip, packages include stay at a hotel. Check out, before hand, for offer. There are many Ferry service providers too. Watch other Post

Travel tips for Albania

If you want to know which country is one of the smallest in Europe, the answer is Albania. If you want to more about this country, here are few lists of what you need to know:

The Culture in Albania

When you come to Albania, you will directly notice that their culture is mainly from the Greeks. If you want to say yes to people you shake your head other wise nodding head means a no for the inhabitants of the country. When you meet people and you want to greet them, you just give a hand shake, it was not the primary way to start a conversation back in Albanians’ history but the time made it change. For women, it is seen very bad to wear light outfits or too unveiling dress. If you are invited to someones house, you need to bring gifts for the host. When you arrive, you need to know some basics of their communication style. If you great a man you should always use mister or miss for women which are respectively zoti and Zonja. In Albania, their tradition is to serve some coffee to the guest, don’t be surprised if they bring you some snacks without asking for you if you want some. For people in this country, they express that you are welcome to their homes by giving you something to eat.

Here is how you travel within the country

At your arrival, many hotels are offering you a transfer from the airport to the hotel. If not, you can always take a cab or the buses. In both ways, the fares are very reasonable.
One thing you must see in Albania is the Dajti Mountain. You can experience some thrilling attractions for a very cheap price. You will find the so called, Dajti Ekspres Cable car which is a 4 km ride that will last about 15 minute by going from Oark to Tirana. If you are looking for some luxurious experience. You can even charter a yacht and cruse around the coast.

Restaurants in Albania

When you are looking for restaurants, you can be sure that if they know that you are a foreigner, prices will not be the same. Try to go around and see what are all the options before choosing one. You can also ask the locals if you want more Albanian specialties. Now concerning the comfort of restaurants, most of them do not have heating so make sure to bring warm clothes if you go there in winter.

What to do in Albania

If you fill adventurous and go for glimbing rocks or canoeing you found the right place. Just outside the city you will have one of the best spot to do some canoing and have some nice rock climbing experience. If those are not enough for you, you can also go to a special spot near the city to have some amazing hiking experience.

Choosing the Accommodation

One hotel that is really well situated is the Sheraton Hotel. It is very near to all the entertainments in the city. It is a five star hotel that will give you the best comfort after enjoying the different activities you can do in Albania. If you are more for hotels with a traditional style, you can try the Hotel Mondial. It is a little far compared to the Sheraton Hotel but the architecture of the building is just beautiful. If you are still wondering what you should do during your trip, you can check the best tips to travel to Europe on Best hotels to find what you need to know when travelling.

Ways to travel to Albania

Like all countries around the world you can get to Albania by air. The best way to book the cheapest airfare is to use Besthotels.io. You will be able to compare all the ticket price from the Albania national airliners to all the other company taking this routes. The national airlines in Albania is working with Tyrolean Airways. The main airport of the country is a little bit far from the city, it is approximately over 20km and you will need to have a 30 minutes ride to arrive to the city center. You can choose from airport bus or taxi to make your way to the city.

You can also get to Albania by taking the bus. You will go from Istanbul or Athene. Another alternative is to check the other routes by using rome2rio. If its not yet what you are looking for, you can also go by car. My advice would be to plan your road-trip during the day because the roads are not equipped with lights.

Going to Paris France

Heading to Paris France

When you are planning a trip to Paris, make sure to check all the restaurants, museums and tourist attractions online first. You will be able to see some exceptionally pleasant and delightful region in Paris. The Seine River is a place you really need to visit in Paris. On the journey, grab a glass of champagne by the river and enjoy the view.

Hop on the little ships you will find there. As you arrive you will be treated like a king to make sure you have the best moment you can have. You and your family will have a table for you, just at the front end of the boat. Enjoy your meal and by the same time take time to appreciate the view. But wait, that is not all. You can get there and have some wine, do some dancing and just enjoy the moment.

How much will that cruise cost you?

For only $180 you can get on that cruise. In addition, it will not be just a fast cruise around, it will last 4 hours. You hop near the Eiffel Tower and you pass by the ministry of finance to finish the ride at the Eiffel tower. It leaves the port and takes the left side of the bank then when it returns it goes on the right side of the bank to make the tourists see both side of this wonderful place. You may remember one of our post which also talks about beautiful view which was our Austria post.

Going around Paris in this boat is just amazing, it is really hard to describe what we see. You can also cruise when it starts to get dark. It is even more awesome because of the lights of the city.

Having diner in Paris

You should not miss the restaurants of Paris. Well, it sometimes comes a little expensive then the cooks from other places but it is definitely worth it. You will have some french cuisines (especially with sea foods) and have a great time.

Is Paris the right city to visit?

Yes. You should at least visit Paris once. It is one of the most beautiful country in the world. In Europe you will find some small countries that are amazing like Albania and then you have cities that are even more beautiful like Paris. You can visit Paris for many reasons. You can come for your honeymoon, for birthdays, for business and any other events you can think of. For anniversaries, you have packages that are already made for you.

Paris has become really popular because of its architecture, its museums, its arts, its fine wine and also its luxurious life. Paris has some of the most fine restaurants in the world and the most fancy hotels as well. It hotels that can go from 200 per night to 40 000 euro per nigh.

How to choose the hotels in Paris?

You can go outside of the town and get better deals. For example you have the Courtyard Charles. Don’t underestimate this hotel because its located in the border of Paris. This is a four star hotel with the Parisian luxury you may want. Fine dishes and fine wine, you will have it all in this hotel. You can also consider De Gaulle which is near the airport. The staff in this hotel are very friendly and helpful.

Madagascar

Madagascar lemurs Madagascar is located in the Indian Ocean. It is the 5^th biggest island on earth with 590 000km2. The island is also called “red island” as a reference to the red dust present on the mainland. Madagascar is surrounded by the Comoros Island, the Seychelles, the Reunion Island and Mauritius.

Here is a list of the top touristic sites in Madagascar:

Ranomafana Park

Ranomafana Park which means “hot water park” is a natural park in Madagascar that is located in the southeastern region of the country. It has the largest diversity of lemurs that are primarily eating bamboos. The place is full of natural forest and bamboo which did attract these species of lemurs.

Nosy-Be

White sands and turquoise water, that is what you will see in Nosy-be. It is the most touristic island of Madagascar. If you are from Europe, you can just bring euros and no need to exchange because most of the attractions in the island are based on euro and not the Malagasy Ariary. If you are looking for excellent sea foods at a really affordable price, this is the place to go. You can buy lobster dishes for as low as $10.

Tsingy de Bemaraha

It is the largest natural reserve of Madagascar. It is located in the southern region of the country. The word “tsingy” means the pic. You can also observe some rare lemur species in this region and a lot of mangroves.

Ambohimanga Royal hill

It is the reference when talking about Royalty in Antananarivo. It is a place that covers a lot of the history of Madagascar. The king that lived there was Andrianampoinimerina. It attracts many visitor because all the historical weapons of the country is in this palace. At the entrance, you will have a lot of Malagasy art that you can also buy.

To Find more about Madagascar stay tuned we are coming soon. But for now you can check our latest post about traveling in Finland.