Treasures of Europe Summer 2012

As all roads lead to Rome, this city does not need an introduction. Here is one anyway. The Eternal City will always overwhelm with its sheer imperial scale - packed full of temples, residences, basilicas, churches, squares, parks, museums and fountains - Rome is breathtaking. Whether it is the unbelievable opulence of the Vatican, or the simplicity of a trattoria serving humble fare, you will always feel the city's timelessness and millennia of rich history on the very ground you walk upon. The city has many layers that correspond to periods in its history: such as Ancient Rome, Medieval Rome, Christian Rome and Renaissance Rome to name a few. The capital of Italy, the Rome's modern layer is also quite evident, and it is dynamic and efficient, always blending the old with the new.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 9-19 C
Summer: June to August 18-28 C
Autumn: September to November 13-22 C
Winter: December to February 5-14 C

Shopping:
There is so much to do and see in Rome, that you would think shopping couldn't interrupt your epic journey through the city. That fortunately is not true, and the sheer variety and richness of commodities and products available quickly makes even the most ardent non-shopper reach for their wallet. With all the designer clothing, jewellery, books, souvenirs, fragrances, and antiques available, you will definitely find something that will appeal to you. Visit the areas of Centro Storico and Trastevere for souvenirs and antiques both. You can also shop at Bulgari, an extravagant world of gems, jewels, and leather goods, the prices varying from affordable to incredibly expensive. The world famous Italian leather can be found at Campanile, everything from shoes, bags, belts to jackets are among the many items available here. Also visit Cesare Lampronti for an extensive selection of 16th, 17th, and 18th century oil paintings, with framed or unframed prints available. Visit Nicola di Castro for antiques and discover a variety of chairs, tables, ceramics and chests to add character to your home.

Must Do:
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and let the city take over. You'll quickly find that there is not much you can't do in Rome. Other than visiting the gazillions of mind-numbingly old monuments, there is the opera, the amazing food, and wine that flows as if through aqueducts. If you're there for a short visit it's a good idea to be choosy with the monuments, as the sheer number can be exhausting. Try to definitely visit the famous Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, Ponte Fabricio, the Galleria Borghese, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums. Historic centres like Trastevere and Testaccio are hubs of activity, and also where the nightlife and bars are. Do as the Romans do, in short, visit the opera, play some soccer, or just go dancing. On a gastronomic note, the food in Italy is offered in 4 types of shops. A trattoria is a family-run concern that serves home-cooking. A ristorante is more formal, with a wider selection of dishes. The osteria is an inn, usually with only a few local dishes and endless wine. Pizzerias can serve antipasto, pasta, meat and vegetable dishes as well as pizza.

Travel Tools:
ISD Code: +39
Currency: (EUR) 1 EUR is approximately 63 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT+1 hour. IST -4:30 hours. Summer (Daylight Savings): GMT+2 hours
Voltage: 220V - 240V

You will run into serious trouble adjusting to normal life back home after a holiday in the capital city of Tyrol. Utterly laidback, it's biggest selling point, the Alps of which the city renders unbridled views, bought us over several times over as we climbed up various spots to get photo-shots, visited all restaurants that promised beautiful panoramas overlooking them, and bought many a postcard and posters (even crystal ware depicting them!) to take back home. But you'll forget Alps soon enough as you enter city life and sit down at a terrace restaurant with your shoulders shrugged up in cold, your wind-cheaters all zipped up and watch the waiter serve you a splendid portion of cake and a delicious cuppa.

Beautiful museums, churches, palaces, and castles - it's easy to get lost discovering the city's heritage. We recommend keeping track of time and also visiting places like the Old Town, Sparkassenplatz, and Maria-Theresien-Strabe for great shopping experiences and local food. And yes, don't let the cold fool you into thinking the sun isn't hard enough. Its strength will become apparent on your face after a day of roaming around Innsbruck without wearing sunblock. So take care and enjoy!

FAST FACTS

What to pack: In winters, temperatures can plummet to as low as -10 C, so carry layers of warm clothing. Temperatures can radically change from day to day so you'll need to adapt well. A sunblock lotion 50+ SPF is a must. It's amazing to see how sunburnt you can get at such low temperatures. You'll walk a lot here so carry a bottle of water to keep you from dehydrating and wear light shoes all the time.

Main Languages: German (Main) | Austro-Bavarian | Turkish (Minority Language) | Serbian (Minority Language)

When to go: Innsbruck is cold. While in summers, only nights are freezing, in winters, temperatures stay frigid throughout the day. But we haven't seen that fact stop anyone, especially skiing enthusiasts, from taking a schuss down its slopes clad in white for some adrenaline-gushing fun. There are more reasons to be here in winters, like Bergsilvester (New Year's Eve) and Christkindlmarkt (Christmas fair), two great ways to catalogue the lifestyles and culture of locals here.

Summer, being temperate, is a little more touristy.

Local transport: The Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe (IVB) provides local transport, which includes trams and buses. The tram ride to Fulpmes is a scenic experience. It's beautiful.

People staying closer to the city centre can reach most attractions on foot or at the most, by a short tram ride.

Currency: Euro | 1 Euro = INR 64 (approx)

Voltage: 230V / 50Hz

Time Zone: GMT + 2:00 Hours | IST + 3:30 Hours

Shopping: The old town, dotted with small souvenir shops, is a great place to buy things for people back home. Austrian crystal ware makes for a great buy. Other than these, there are a many shopping malls selling the usual and the unusual. You can also buy packed food like cheese, salami and lamb meat.

Sightseeing: Buy an Innsbruck-card worth 25 Euros (valid for 1 day), travel all over the city, and visit all attractions, absolutely free of cost. However, daily public transport cards (in case you aren't covering all destinations) are a better bet. They come way cheaper.

Places to visit include churches like the Hofkirche, which houses the tomb monument of King Macmillan I and the majestic St. Jacob's Cathedral. Innsbruck is dotted with palaces, castles, and museums, so prepare an itinerary beforehand to make sure you cover the places you think are worthy of a visit.

Maria-Theresien-Strabe is a beautiful place to take a walk around at and renders amazing views of the Nordkette mountain ranges. Also visit the Sparkassenplatz, a bustling urban centre to mingle with the locals and enjoy dining at a range of cafes and eateries. In summer, you'll see it come alive with open air film screenings and concerts for everyone.

Food: Visit Cafe Im Murm, built inside the ski-jump of Bergisel, for great coffee, delicious cakes and of course, amazing views of the city and its skyline.

Located where the Herzog Friedrichstrasse culminates, the Ottoburg serves delicious food in separate rooms, each designed and furnished to a different theme. The restaurant has specialty chefs, a different one dedicated to different cuisines, deserts, speciality non-vegetarian food etc.

Great food, great bier, and mesmerising city panorama, besides Cafe Im Murm, are also standard with Seegrube-Hafelekar. Stay out in the sun on the terrace and enjoy.

A superb menu of teas, coffee, and pastries and a good laidback atmosphere has made Cafe Central a favourite with many a local and tourists. Try it!

Often described as one of the most romantic cities in the world, Venice lives up to that appellation. However, this does not mean that the city is only for lovers. Somewhere between dream and reality, present and past, it is romantic in the imaginative sense, its beauty somehow more, and less than real. It is also one of the most historic cities in Italy, and its varied architecture and rich culture offer plenty to see and explore, even to the most intrepid traveller. A city of canals, it is literally on water, and people own boats instead of cars, and maybe flippers instead of boots! Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. These islands are connected by about 400 bridges. The resulting waterways and walkways are the chief circulatory systems of beautiful Venice, and to facilitate smooth and ordered movement, certain speed limits are enforced on boats. Venice is one of the few European cities to remain largely unchanged with the turn of the century, and for this reason the feeling of displacement with reality never seems to quite fade away. Gothic, Roman, and Venetian architecture impose themselves on you, and the canals' coruscating light reflects magically on the edifices. World renowned for its superior and artfully created glass, Venice's masks are also a highlight, and they can be seen everywhere during the Carnival.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 8-17 C
Summer: June to August 18-27 C
Autumn: September to November 10-18 C
Winter: December to February 0-8 C

Shopping:
As with every major Italian city, there will be streets filled with all the major brands of high fashion and other luxury products. However, the city of Venice has many unique industries of its own, such as glassmaking, lace-making, and mask-making. Venetian glass, famous across the world, is best made in Murano, an island of Venice. Take a vaporetto (ferry or water bus as it is called) down to the island, and then a conducted tour of one of the factories. It is quite an educational and beautiful experience, seeing the artisans at work upon the sublime material. Souvenirs are of course, available. Lace-making can best be observed at Burano, another island of Venice. The intricate lace that is produced is sheer and priceless, desired across the world. Oil and watercolour paintings of the city can be found all over the place, often freshly produced by the artist, right in front of your eyes.

Must Do:
There is a lot to do and see in Venice, and what follows is a list of experiences that are definitely worth your while. Visit the opulent expanse of the St. Mark's Square (San Marco Square) and feed the pigeons. Take a gondola cruise to the beautifully designed Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto), and the Bridge of Sighs, and truly enjoy the waterways the way the city's builders did. One should also visit the Galleria dell'Accademia, where famous works of art like Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man are displayed. Sample the fresh sparkling wine, and Venetian cuisine in one of the many cafes, inns and restaurants. Many restaurants serve excellent fish of the Adriatic including the sea bass, mackerel, mullet and soft-shelled crabs. For those who want to pick up a simple snack while they are making their way around the city to see all the sights then cichetti or bar snacks are highly recommended. On the nightlife front, Venice is a relatively quiet town in the early evenings, after which the party starts, centred around the many bars and cafes around the Piazza San Marco.

Travel Tools:
ISD Code: +39
Currency: (EUR) 1 EUR is approximately 65 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT+1 hour. IST +4:30 hours. Summer (Daylight Savings): GMT+2 hours.
Voltage: 220V - 240V

Paris is the ultimate cosmopolitan capital, and is a city like no other. Popularly known as The City of Lights, it is much more than that! Home to historical and cultural wonders like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral and the hub of fashion haute coutre, it has something for everyone, throughout the year.

Located in the Northern part of the country on the River Seine, Paris has the reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities, brimming with historic associations and remaining vastly influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design. The heart of Europe, it throbs its way into people's inner sanctums, romancing them, making them love it. Paris (Pah-Ree to the locals) makes you indulge, fulfilling your desires and stimulating your senses. Paris is a city that never sleeps, and is a stunning contrast of decadence and vitality, of old-world charm and avant-garde restlessness. From vibrant gay and lesbian outbursts to avant garde theatre, Paris has it all - a dream destination which has to be visited at least once in a lifetime!

Florence (Firenze), the city that was the centre of the Italian Renaissance, is a place of beauty and splendour. Every street is a masterpiece of statues, cobblestones, and imposing edifices, all of which further cement the legendary Florentine love of display. There are rich galleries, even richer churches, impressive domes, corresponding to different periods of history, from early medieval, to neoclassical. It is hard to measure Florence's cultural and historical impact, and even the most conservative estimate concedes it a world-changing status. A visitor can be overwhelmed by this, and needs constantly to be reminded that the reason for such elegant opulence is that Florence was the hub of most activity during the rebirth of art, philosophy, and science in Europe, largely spurred on by the Medici family.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 9-20 C
Summer: June to August 18-31 C
Autumn: September to November 11-21 C
Winter: December to February 3-11 C

Shopping:
Florence, through its years of experience, has a very well developed sense of style and luxury, always insisting on superior craftsmanship of every aspect. There are innumerable shops, boutiques, and stalls, full to the brim with clothes, shoes, leather goods, ceramics, stationery, wine and decorative goods. Located around the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the San Lorenzo Market is one of the most important, and here you can find an excellent variety of clothing, leather products, and souvenirs. The Mercato Centrale is located in the San Lorenzo Central Market, and it is the best food market in the city. The Mercato Delle Cascine is also a great place to look for antiques, souvenirs, telephone cards, and shoes. There is the large and beautiful Parco Delle Cascine (park) located here. Mercato Delle Pulci is the famous flea market of Florence, where you can find various antiques, furniture, prints, jewellery, books, and coins.

Must Do:
It is nearly impossible for one to get bored in Florence, where delightful spectacles and spectacular delights await your every step. This medieval wonderland contains some of the best of truly stunning architecture and art in the entire world. The list of wonders is long, and what follows are just the most important. Gawk incredulously at the graceful Ponte (bridge) Vecchio, the Duomo's (cathedral) wondrous dome, the splendour of Basilica di San Lorenzo and the unbelievably rich Uffizi gallery. A Medici family institution, the Uffizi Gallery has many masterpieces, including works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo Da Vinci. The Boboli Gardens, with its sculpted paths amidst verdant greens give pleasant succour to the tired sightseer. A visit to the Piazza (Square) Della Signoria is a must, for it is there that Michelangelo's David resides. Churches like the fortified hulk of the Palazzo Vecchio, and ancient Palazzo dei Pazzi are also must visits. Florence's skyline is picturesque and uplifting, evincing the city's elegance against the sunset. On the food front, Florence is much like its Italian counterparts, and offers a wide variety of delectable fare at its trattorias, ristorantes, osterias and pizzerias. The local Tuscan and Enoteca cuisines are delightful, with fresh ingredients cooked in simple ways. The seafood and the Italian sandwiches are also must tries. Florence's nightlife also offers something for everyone, the classic taverns the best choice to experience local flavour, the Chiantis (wine).

Travel Tools:
ISD Code: +39
Currency: (EUR) 1 EUR is approximately 65 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT+1 hour. IST -4:30 hours. Summer (Daylight Savings): GMT+2 hours
Voltage: 220V - 240V

A summer snow paradise, Mount Titlis overlooks Engelberg in Central Switzerland, and at over 10,000ft (3020m), it is the highest viewpoint in the region. Offering snow and ice all year round, it is also an alpine-sports centre, where you can ski, snowboard, and skate. The Titlis Glacier is stunningly beautiful, and attracts tourists from all over Europe. It is in fact one of the most accessible snow paradises in Switzerland, only about 1.5 hours from Lucerne, Zurich, Basil, or Berne. There is a lot to do here even for those with no inclination towards alpine sports.

The towering snow-capped Alpine peaks are a perfect backdrop to the green valleys of the Swiss countryside. The charming city of Geneva like all other Swiss cities is rich in history and architecture with several world-famous structures finding a home here making it undoubtedly one of the world's most beautiful cities. There are several cultures that come together in Geneva too, giving it a true international flavour. Politically lauded for being a neutral territory, Geneva is where many international treaties have been and many international organizations like the Red Cross and United Nations are headquartered.