Eiffel Tower / Tour Eiffel

The most famous building of the world is nowadays inseparable from Paris, but this was not always so. The builder, Gustave Eiffel, first offered the chance to Barcelona, but the mayor of the Catalan city did not like the idea. Finally it was built with resistance in Paris, but the huge success confirmed the idea of Eiffel – today the Eiffel Tower is the most popular sight – with entrance fee – in the world: in 2006, nearly 7 million people went up to the Tower, while since its building this number is more than 200 million. But even after the initial oppositions, the lady’s life was not easy: lightning stoke her, cheater traders have sold her more times, Hitler wanted to demolish her and wanted to make weapons from the material (Hitler was not the friend of Paris anyway as at the end of the World War II he commanded to burn Paris up, but the governor of the city denied it). The 324-meters high Eiffel Tower was the highest building in the world since the building in 1887 until 1930. The structure is 7300 tons, and thanks to the brilliance of the designer, it only swings 6-7 centimeters even in strong wind. The magnificent lightshow is 292 thousand watts of power.

You can get to the 1st and 2nd floor of the brilliantly built tower by using the stairs or the elevator, while the 3rd floor is only available by using the elevator going from the 2nd floor. From the highest floor, when the weather is nice, you can see even 70 kms away. You can count on a minimum 1-hour long queuing or even more, and on the 2rd floor you need to wait a lot again to get to the 3rd floor. It is worth to visit the Tower at night, when for 10 minutes at the beginning of every hour the yellow lighted tower flashes in white light. Young people lying, eating, drinking and meeting each other applause and are exultant. When the weather is nice, there are a lot of people in the park in front of the tower even at night – no one should miss this feeling.

Louvre museum / Musée du Louvre

The most popular museum (in 2006 8.3 million visitors) and one of the biggest, most interesting and most famous museums has more than 350 thousand works of art. There are such famous works here, as the Mona Lisa or the painting of Delacroix, the Liberty leading the people or the Venus de Milo. The Louvre, as for the size, cannot be covered even in a whole day, so at the entrance you get a map, which helps you to see at least the more famous works. Beside the collection, the museum and the pyramid (21-meters high, added in 1989, made of stainless steel, consisting of 666 glass sheets) next to it are also nice and interesting. The buildings were built in 1990 as fortresses, for the command of Philip II Augustus. In the 16th century, Francis I rebuilt it as a Renaissance palace, then Napoleon renovated it and used it as a museum, which is available for “common people” since the French Revolution.

Sacré-Coeur Basilica, Montmarte

The 130-meters high Montmarte hill is the highest point of Paris, from where there is a magnificent view of the city. Several artist lived and composed in this inspiring place, e.g. Picasso, Monet, Dali or Van Gogh. On the stairs in front of the Sacré-Coeur, beside the view, often great musicians’ plays can be heard. The mood here is fantastic, both in the daytime and at night. The way to the Basilica through the 234 steps is exciting: in a really nice district of Paris, we can follow Amelie’s way.
The wonderful Sacré-Coeur Basilica, which is said to be “made of sugar”, was built for the memory of the soldiers killed in the French-Prussian war, for whose souls people usually pray even nowadays. The inner part of the Basilica is not as nice as other Paris spiritual buildings, but the mood, the view and the outer part cannot be missed. The 46-years long building of the Sacré-Coeur was finished in 1919.

The Moulin Rouge can be found in the famous Pigalle district (at the bottom of the stairs) and the Erotic Museum is here too (some say it is the most interesting museum in Paris). The neighbourhood of the Moulin Rouge is said to be the hothouse of prostitution, where there are several sex-shops too.

Champs-Élysées

On the most outstanding and widest avenue of Paris, the 2 kms long Champs-Élysées, the most significant brands have shiny stores. On the most famous street of the world and the most beautiful avenue, the rents are also the most expensive: for renting a 1000m2 store, the rent is 1.25 million dollar per year. The avenue is also the venue for several world-famous events: here is the finish of the most famous bicycle race, the Tour de France; on 14 July (French National Holiday) soldiers (in 2007, Hungarians too) march this way at the time of the biggest military show, the parade, with other military units. There are huge celebrations too, e.g. in case of French victories at sports, e.g. when the French football team wins the world championship or the European championship or at new years eve. It is worth to go along the Champs-Élysées both in the daylight and at night and enjoy the mood and dynamism.

Notre Dame

It was founded by Pope Alexander III in 1163. Then it was being built for 170 years. This Gothic masterpiece was almost totally demolished at the time of the French Revolution, but between 1845-1878 it was rebuilt based on the original plans. From 1991 to 2005, The Cathedral had remarkable renovation again. The organ in the Notre Dame has 113 registers and 5 manuals, which is considered to be one of the biggest musical instrument in the world.

You can get into the towers of the Notre Dame, after a tiring walk on the stairs, where you can enjoy the view with gargoyles surrounding. While walking on the 402 steps, there are two resting places, and people can have a look at the bell of the Notre Dame. On the square in front of the Cathedral, there is the zero kilometer stone of France.

Rome is the capital city of Italy, center of Lazio region and was the center of the Roman Empire. It is also the biggest and most populated city of the country with more than 2,7 million people per 1,285,3 square kms.. Here we can find the Vatican, the center of the Catholic church, the residence of the pope and this is the smallest independent nation in the world.

It has a history of more than 2500 years. It was the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The latter was the center of power of Western Europe and the coastal countries of the Mediterranean sea from 1st century B.C. until the 7th century B.C. In 2007, Rome was the 11th most popular city in the world and the 3rd of the European Union, and tourists who visited Italy chose this city as their destination. [1] Its center was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[2] Its museums and monuments, e.g. museums of the Vatican and the Colosseum are included in the 50 most popular tourist attractions of the world.

Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica

Vatican is one of the few enclaves of the world (a country, which is fully in the territory of another country). This country existing from 1929 with its 44 acres is the smallest country of the world. The main sights of the tiny country are the St. Peter’s Square and its basilica and the 14 wonderful Vatican museums.

St. Peter’s Basilica

The Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano, that is the St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the four basilicas of Rome. The Basilica is the most emerging building of the Vatican its dome dominates the view of Rome. The dimensions of the Basilica are amazing, almost indescribable, but let’s have a try: until 1989 this was the biggest Catholic church of the world, when the basilica in Yamoussoukro (capital of Cote D’Ivoire) was declared to be the biggest one. Its territory is 2.3 acres and can house more than 60 thousand people, so e.g. the population of Veszprém. Its length is 211 meters, width 186 meters and its highest point is 132 meters. In the church, there are several works of art, e.g. the famous Pieta, which is the only signed work of Michelangelo. It’s right at the entrance, on the right side. You can get to the dome of the St. Peter’s Basilica, designed by Michelangelo, by using the elevator and then going up all the 537 stairs.

The St. Peter’s Square, where you can find the Basilica, has been finished by 1667, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. At the time of the design, the main aim was to assure that the largest possible number of people can listen to the Pope’s mass. The square is a masterpiece for optic illusion: getting closer to the dome it’s like it seems distant, moreover, the square looks round, while it is elliptical and there are several more phenomena.

The museums of the Vatican exhibit the gorgeous collection of the Roman Catholic Church. The museums were founded in the 16th century. Nowadays, more than 4 million visitors came here annually. Their main entrance is on the Viale del Vatican. Looking at the museums and the more than 50 thousand artefacts is a unique experience. To make sure no one miss the most famous arts and not to get lost and miss something, coloured ways are created: violet, beige, green and yellow ones, the first one takes one and a half our while the last one takes 5 hours, but all ways end at the Sistine Chapel. The ticket is really worth its price: 14 museums and 14 palaces/home can be visited. The art gallery is outsanding with the works of artist, like Raphael, Leonardo, Caravaggio or Bernini. The Museo Pio Clementino has the biggest ancient collection in the world with Greek and Roman classics.

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican, Rome

The Colosseum, one of the symbols of Rome, is the biggest amphitheatre built at the time of the Roman Empire. It is also one of the most significant building of Roman architecture. The arena was built from about 70-72 A.D. until 80 A.D. Originally it was able to house 50 thousand spectators and was used for gladiator combats, animal fights and other performances. It was also the venue of public executions combined with animal fights at the time of the early Christianity.

Between the Capitolium and the Palatine Hill, there is the center of the ancient Rome, which is totally revealed nowadays, so locals and tourists can easily imagine the life in ancient times and the flourishing of culture of that time. The Roman Forum was the center of judgement, political life and trade in Rome. On the Roman, there were the churches of several gods (e.g. Saturn, Janus, Vesta, Concordia), the Senate, the execution square, basilicas, palace remainings and the remainings of 4 arches. There are also night trips, when the remaings can be seen in moonlight.

Trevi Fountain

To one of the most famous fountains of the world, many people drop a coin, as based on a superstition, who drops a coin into the fountain, he/she will return to Rome. This is the biggest fountain in Rome – 26 meters high and 20 meters wide. This Baroque fountain was built based on the plans of Nicola Salvi, and was finished by 1762, since then it was renovated more times (the last in 1998). The coins are collected every day (about 300 euros per day), but sometimes smart thieves try to steal from the fountain by using magnets.

Trevi Fountain

Spanish steps

The longest and widest outdoor steps in Europe is one of the favourite meeting points of Romans. It consists of 138 stairs, was built in 1777 and was renovated last in 1995. Even today, here is the Spanish Embassy, that is why it has the name: Spanish Steps. It was a French diplomat, Étienne Gueffier, who donated 20 thousand scudi for the building of the steprs. Beside its beauty, its mood is also impressive, it is always full of locals, tourists, young people and lovers.
The steps lead to the Trinitá dei Monti church, consecrated in 1585, in front of which there is the Obelisco Sallustiano, one of the Egyptian obelisk in Rome, and at the bottom of the steps, there is a nice square (Piazza di Spagna) and a Baroque fountain, built from 1627 to 1629.

Dubrovnik

The beaches of Dubrovnik

Based on the European Union’s survey, Dubrovnik has extremely clean beaches. The most popular ones arethe followings: Banje beach, a well situated pebble beach, with nice views to the old town. St. Jakov beach is also a popular pebble beach, while the biggest beach of Dubrovnik, Lapad, is a sandy one with showers, changing rooms, cafes and restaurants. Copacabana beach, got its name from the legendary beach of Rio de Janeiro, is a favourite destination for tourists. You can try several water sports here.

Bell Tower / Clock Tower

The 35 metres high tower, built in 1444, has only its 2000-kilo bell from its original 15th century form, as it was rebuilt in 1928. The Tower’s clock has no hands, as it is actually a sun clock, which shows the current time.

Dubrovnik Clock tower

Bokar Fortress

Bokar Fortress had defensive role and later it was used as prison. This is the venue of many theatrical performances of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (e.g., Shakespeare’s plays).

Bokar Fortress

Cathedral

Dubrovnik Cathedral was built in 1713, in the place of a 12th-century cathedral, which was destroyed by an earthquake. It was renovated in 1986. In 1981, archaeologists found the marks of an even older, 7th-century cathedral. Before they thought, the 12th-century cathedral was the first one on that place.

Lokrum Island

It is worth to visit the wonderful, uninhabited Lokrum Island, which is only 680 metres away from the harbour of Dubrovnik, by ship this distance is about 10-15 minutes. Voyages starts in every 30 minutes to the island with beautiful flora. The island is a national park too. Relaxation already starts on the ship, as you go further and further from Dubrovnik and can fully see the old town. After swimming in the crystal clear water, you can have a rest on the rocky beach. There are no restaurants, stores or hotels here, this is the place for perfect relaxation.

Lovrijenac Fortress

Outside the city walls, the castle set on a 36 metres high rock previously had defensive function, nowadays it is the venue for cultural events. Supposedly, it took only 3 month to build it around the 14th century.

Lovrijenac Fortress

Onofrio Fountain / Onofrijeva cesma

Onofrio della Cava master builder built Onofrio Fountain in 1438, but as most part of Dubrovnik, this was also destroyed in 1667 by the earthquake, so we cannot see the original fountain. The 16-sided fountain has been part of the city’s plumbing system since its building. Nowadays, it is a popular meeting point, and when the weather is hot, its cold water is refreshing for tired tourists.

Onofrio Fountain

The Sponza palace

At the end of the Strandun (main street of the old town), there is one of the most beautiful palaces of Dubrovnik, the Gothic-Reneissance Sponza palace. It was built between 1516-1522, and it was not destroyed by the earthquake in 1667. In medieval times, it was the place of banks, the mint and the treasury.

Stradun / Placa

The Stradun, or Placa Dubrovnik, is the 500-year old, 300-metres long, dynamic and always crowded main street full with cafes and stores, which preserved their original style. The Stradun is the only wide street in the old town. Many tourists simply say, this is the most beautiful street in the world. It has a really good atmosphere, as whole Dubrovnik has! Don’t miss it!

City wall

The city wall of Dubrovnik is one of the most heavily protected buildings in Europe. Built from the 8th century till the 16th, it is still in its original form: 1940 metres long, somewhere 25 metres high and 6 metres wide, it has 5 bastions, 15 towers and it surrounds the whole old town. It is the most massive and most perfect city wall in Europe. Walking along the whole wall costs 70 kuna (for kids 30 kuna), while you can enjoy the great views from there.

Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic and also the biggest city of the country. They city, set on nine hills, is often called “the city of hundred spires”, “the city of gold” or “the queen of cities”. Its beauty, culture, gastronomy and the wide range of Czech beers attract tourists here.

Prague sightseeing

Let’s start our sightseeing in the castle built at the top of the hill, the Hradčany (Castle District), then we walk across Charles Bridge and we soon get to the Old Town Square where we can see the Prague Orloj (astronomical clock). We finish our trip in the city center. The historic center of Prague was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1992. In the evening, we might go to have dinner to one of Prague’s traditional pub.

Attractions in Prague

Charles Bridge / Karluv most

The wonderful bridge is one of the main spectacles in Prague with its length (516 metres) and width (10 metres), where we can find graphic artists, musicians, entertainers and young people. In the place of this bridge with 16 arches, there was a wooden bridge. Since 1357, this is the first permanent bridge in Prague. Its construction started in the time of Charles IV, Roman Emperor. The first stone was laid in 1357, but the overall project was finished in 1402. Until 1851, it was the only bridge over the Vltava. The majority of the 30 famous sculptures on Charles Bridge were put there between 1687 and 1714, but even in 1928, a new statue appeared. Yet, nowadays not necessarily the original statues can be found there: since 1965 all the sculptures have been changed by replicas, while the original ones can be found in the lapidarium of the Czech National Museum. On both ends of the bridge, we can find a tower: the Mala Strana from the 15th century, and the Old Town Bridge Tower from the 14th century (details later on), both with the function of a lookout tower.

The Charles Bridge in Prague

Old Town Bridge Tower / Staromestská mostecká vez

One of the most beautiful gothic buildings in the world, and certainly the prettiest bridge tower in Europe was designed by Petr Parler at the end of the 14th century. It was not just an ornament of Charles Bridge, but it had defensive function too. The three-story, 64 meters high Tower has three statues on it. Looking out of it, there is a magnificent view of the Old Town of Prague. 

Wencelsas Square / Václavské námesti

Wencelsas Square is one of the most significant squares in Prague and it is also the cultural and business center of the New Town. It is the busiest square, where we can find several tourists, local people and dynamic life. Hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs ensure that the square is not boring even at night. This square was the scene for several important historical events: in 1969, two students burned themselves indicating their objection against the system and at the time of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, demonstrations were held there. The two most important spectacles of the square, beside several other nice buildings built in the 20th century, are the institution of the Czech National Museum and the monument of Saint Wencelsas on his horse.

Video about Prague

Old Town Square / Starometské Námestí

Sitting in a restaurant at the oldest square of Prague, you can wonder the scenes, the beautiful ancient buildings, churches and the usual hustle and bustle. The square between the Wencelsas Square and Charles Bridge is always full of tourists. Moreover, it is a popular meeting place of local people and holidays, Christmas, Easter fairs and demonstrations took place here. At the time of international competitions, Czech people watch ice-hockey and football matches on projectors here. A really interesting place on the square is the astronomical clock next to the town hall of the Old Town, which between 10.a.m. – 10. p.m. indicate time with the “Walk of the Apostles”, and the position of the sun and the moon can also be seen. The oldest part of the clock is from 1410. From the tower of the Town Hall, built in 1338, we can enjoy the overlook of Prague from 50 meters high. In the Old Town Square, we can also find the white, baroque Saint Nicholas Church, finished in 1735. Palaces surrounding the square are very beautiful. In the middle of the square, there is the Jan Hus Monument. The statue was put in 1915, for the 500th anniversary of his stake. From the Old Town Square it is worth to have a walk on the narrow streets of the Old Town, which mood is really impressive, even at night, thanks to nightlife.

Map of Prague