Foreign Perspectives

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Prague is one of those cities that you just have to see at some point and fortunately it’s one of the easiest to get to from virtually anywhere in Europe these days.

Indeed, sometimes it seems like Prague city breaks are the only type of short break holiday around and clearly there are an awful lot of city breaks in Prague consequently there are a considerable number of people who go on them and if you want to avoid being swamped by tourists during your stay it’s best to stay well clear of the peak times.

So what can you expect? Well, this is very much a city where you’ll feel as though you’re on the set of a fairy tale movie. It’s got everything. The castle in fantastic but then so is the cathedral and the old town. But it’s not just a town of ancient relics and you’ll find trendy shops, cafes and a lively nightlife. That’s a lot to pack into a short break holiday and you’re best limiting yourself to just a few aspects of the city on your first trip (one trip just won’t be enough!).

The city changes throughout the seasons too and it’s just as popular in the winter with very much a Christmas feel to the place that few other cities truly achieve.

Prague short breaks operate throughout the year and although it’s never empty of tourists your best bet it probably to aim for the spring or autumn when you’ll find the city much less crowded with tourists.

Getting there is very easy as just about every airport around the whole of Europe seems to offer flights to Prague these days. That means both lots of options in terms of flight times and good prices too.

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One problem with Spain is that in the summer some areas are just way, way too hot.

Madrid is one of those which means that the best time to see it is around now or if you can’t go soon then in late September when it’s cooled down again. That’s about the best time to see some of the fantastic sights around Madrid too such as the lovely city of Segovia which in many ways is better than Madrid itself as it’s a much more approachable city without quite so much of the over crowding that you often get in Madrid.

Although it’s a great place to see, Segovia hotels aren’t nearly so thick on the ground as Madrid hotels so you might find that it’s easier to base yourself in Madrid and do Segovia as a daytrip if you don’t book far enough in advance. Much better the other way round though if you can manage it.

Similarly cute is Toledo although which you can also reach in around an hour from Madrid although south of the city this time. As with Segovia, Toledo hotels aren’t nearly as numerous as those in Madrid so it’s usually best to book that little bit more in advance if you can.

Everybody’s already seen Madrid but Segovia and Toledo are something that little bit different. Quieter, yes, but no less interesting and a whole lot easier to grasp than the sprawl of Madrid.

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There’s such a wide choice of cruises available today that it’s not so much that you choose a cruise and see where it goes but can instead choose where you’d like to go and then find a cruise to match.

That versaility and the fact that the cruise ships stop at numerous ports along the way makes cruising an ideal way to sample an area before going on a more specific vacation later on. For example, European cruises will typically take in a range of quite different European cities in the course of a two week cruise ranging from Rome to Vienna or you can choose to concentrate on the latin countries by looking at Mediterranean cruises which typically will take you to a number of very different countries that can include Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Egypt and the Greek islands.

At the other end of the scale, cruises can let you go to places that would otherwise be difficult to reach by land. For example, Alaska cruises will let you see a whole host of scenery that realistically you’d never get to see any other way and, of course, in considerably more comfort than you would have were you to try the overland route.

Of course, for any true romantic, there’s really only one cruise line to go with and that’s, of course, Princess Cruise Line, the scene of the Love Boat TV series.

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