With its cobblestone alleyways, cosy pubs, lush gardens and majestic castle, Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh is best described as magical. It’s easy to see how the charming city inspired JK Rowling to conjure up the enchanted world of Harry Potter. If you’re planning a visit to the fairytale-like city, you shouldn’t be at a loss for things to do.

Firstly, a visit to Edinburgh wouldn’t be complete without a tour of the famous Edinburgh Castle. Though nearly every spot in the city boasts views of the towering fortress, you cannot get a better sense of the place than when you’re walking through its ancient stone walls.

The city’s most famous stretch of road is known as the Royal Mile, a charming cobblestone street that stretches from the Castle down to Holyrood Palace. Along the Royal Mile you can shop for souvenirs and gifts while taking in the city’s bustling atmosphere. You can also check out the famous St. Giles Cathedral (probably one of the only cathedrals in the world to feature wood carvings of angels playing bagpipes) and statues of famous Scotsmen such as David Hume.

Once you reach the bottom of the Royal Mile, you can tour the Palace at Holyrood, one of the many homes belonging to the famous British Monarchy. The palace sits next to one of the city’s most dominant features, Arthur’s Seat. The large hill is a favourite destination among tourists and locals alike. Though the hill may look daunting, climbing it is easier than you’d think- most people can reach the top in less than half an hour. While at the peak of Arthur’s Seat you can enjoy views of the city’s skyline and the Firth of Forth.

During your stay in Edinburgh, you can explore the old town’s bustling nightlife by checking out some of its most famous pub’s in the Grassmarket area of the city. The Grassmarket sits directly underneath the castle and features a variety of pubs, including the always-popular Biddy Mulligan’s Irish pub, the historic Last Drop pub and one of the city’s quaintest gastro pubs, the White Heart.

After you’ve explored the old town, you can check out the area of the city known as the New Town. This area includes Princes Street, which is the city’s most popular area for shopping. The New Town is also the location of the Scott Monument, a gothic-style tower built in honour of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. You can climb the tower’s very narrow winding staircases to the very top and take in the view of the bustling city below.

As you can see, there is no end of things to do in Edinburgh. Though this list only skims the surface of Edinburgh activities, it is a good start for anyone planning a trip to the Scottish capital. The city is a popular tourist destination, so there are many hotels in Edinburgh to choose from. Additionally, getting to and from the airport and train stations is fairly easy as Edinburgh is known for having one of the best bus systems in Europe.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Whilst tourists unfamiliar with the city might be a little confused by the suggestion, there aren’t many better places to go Christmas shopping in that Birmingham.

To begin, it’s impossible to talk about shopping in Birmingham without mentioning the famous Bullring shopping centre. This immense building is filled with a range of popular high street brands, such as Topshop, H&M and Forever 21. If you’re needing to purchase a new gadget for a tech-savvy family member or friend, you can check out the Bullring’s Apple store. The Bullring was designed with power-shopping in mind and the range of eateries located in its Food Hall allow you to fuel up on delicious grub before heading back for a second round of shopping.

If you’re shopping for someone who enjoys the finer things in life, you can peruse the Mailbox shopping centre, which includes all the top high-end designers. From Harvey Nichols to Emporio Armani to Hugo Boss, this shopping area is defined by luxury and indulgence.

Another option for last-minute Christmas shopping in Birmingham is the city’s famous Frankfurt Christmas Market. Located on Victoria Square and New Street, the market feature a range of stalls offering a variety of German dishes and gifts. You can shop for classic wooden toys, handmade jewellery, Christmas decorations and crafts from around the world. While shopping at the markets, you can enjoy authentic German seasonal cuisine such as mulled wine, salted pretzels, crepes, gingerbread, marzipan, and German beer.

After you’ve finished shopping, Birimgham is full of attractions, pubs and restaurants where you can unwind after a long day of being on your feet. If you’re interested in experiencing a bit of Birmingham’s cultural scene, you can explore the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts or see a show at the city’s famous Hippodrome theatre. Sports fans may also enjoy watching an Aston Villa, Birmingham City or West Bromwich Albion football match. If you’ve brought your kids along on the shopping tip, you can treat them to a visit at Birmingham’s best-known chocolate factory, Cadbury World.

As you can see, the bustling city of Birmingham is home to a range of shopping venues for all your last-minute shopping needs. Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be a stressful job, particularly if you work it into a relaxing city break. There are a range of Birmingham hotels that you can stay at for a night or two while you take care of those last-minute purchases. By mixing your shopping in with sightseeing and dining out at Birmingham’s trendiest restaurants, you can transform routine Christmas errands into a mini holiday right here in the UK.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Manchester is known for its lively culture and vibrant nightlife. Never is this more apparent than on New Year’s Eve, when the city truly comes alive. From trendy nightclubs to cosy pubs, you can choose to ring in the New Year at a range of different venues across Manchester. With so many parties to choose from, it’s a good idea to do your research ahead of time so you can make the most of your stay in the iconic English city.

To begin, the city of Manchester hosts a fireworks show every New Year’s Eve which is best viewed from Hardman Square. The area always fills up quickly with excited tourists and locals wanting to catch the best views of the fireworks, so it’s a good idea to arrive early and secure your space among the crowd.

Another option for the night of New Year’s Eve is the Spinningfields Ice Rink, where opening hours are extended until midnight so people can ring in the New Year while skating around the ice. The fireworks are perfectly visible from the rink, so skaters are able to participate in the countdown along with the rest of the city. If you wish to do so however, it’s more than advisable to book tickets in advance - there’s usually a pretty high demand for them!

Aside from these two events, there are a number of bars, restaurants and nightclubs that host New Year’s Eve parties across the city. One option is the ‘Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Ball’ hosted by the Lounge 31 nightclub. You might also enjoy the New Year’s Eve event hosted by the Joshua Brooks nightclub, one of the city’s most popular late-night venues. If you’re looking to enjoy a New Year’s Eve meal, you can book a table at Henry J Beans, located inside The Printworks. The restaurant/bar offers a dinner menu from 10pm until 3pm.

When planning your visit, you can choose from a range of Manchester Hotels depending on your budget and preferences. Whether you’re coming from elsewhere in the UK or from abroad, the city is fairly simple to navigate, even on the busy night of New Year’s Eve. Aside from the New Year’s festivities, there are a number of other things to see and do in Manchester, including a tour of the famous Old Trafford football arena, seeing a show at the Royal Exchange Theatre and checking out T-Rex fossils at the famous Manchester Museum.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Often referred to as one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Venice is a truly unique landscape, filled with winding canals, Gothic architecture and historic artwork. Situated in Northern Italy, Venice is the ideal location for those seeking a short New Year getaway. The city hosts a range of activities to celebrate the holiday and offers a truly scenic setting for your New Year’s Eve festivities.

Prior to the night of New Year’s Eve, visitors to Venice can enjoy a gondola ride along the city’s famous canals. Venice is often thought to be one of the world’s most romantic cities and couples can snuggle up while the boat guides them along the narrow waterways. Other daytime activities could include: visiting the city’s famous art galleries and museums, shopping at high-end boutiques along the Mercerie or even taking an elevator ride up the St. Mark’s bell tower.

For fans of authentic Italian cuisine, dining in Venice is a truly unforgettable experience. Before the night’s festivities, visitors to the city can enjoy an Italian feast at one of Venice’s many top-quality restaurants. Certain restaurants serve a feast from 9 pm until midnight on New Year’s Eve, so you can ring in the New Year with a traditional leisurely Italian meal experience (complete with several different courses and glass after glass of Italian wine). That being said, demand at the restaurants is sure to be high, so make sure to book in advance.

To experience a bit of Venetian culture, you can attend the annual New Year’s Concert, held at the La Fenice Theatre, one of Europe’s most famous opera venues. Once the afternoon performance is over, the venue hosts a large party, which includes dinner and drinks.

For those seeking a more boisterous New Year’s Eve, a giant celebration is hosted in the city’s St. Mark’s Square. Tourists and locals alike enjoy music and fireworks while they eagerly wait for the clock to strike midnight. After the New Year countdown, the crowd partakes in a giant “group kiss” in the spirit of brotherhood and goodwill.

On New Year’s Day, the braver tourists can join locals for a New Year’s swim at Lido Beach or simply relax in their hotel rooms and recuperate from the previous night’s events. The city is also known for its cinemas, and seeing a film there can make for a relaxing post-New Year’s Eve activity.

All in all, there are plenty of ways to spend a holiday in Venice around the New Year period. When you look into flights and hotels for your visit, it’s best to book as soon as possible, to avoid rising costs. It is also important to note that there are two airports in Venice, the Venice Marco Polo airport and the Venice, Treviso airport.

Sean Burke writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

 Guest Blogged by Simi

Rome, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, a tourist’s dream and a city obligatory to be visited has a charm that is less than all the things written in books about it. Looking at it with one’s own eyes is like day dreaming. Rome was one of the places which were on my top list to be visiting whenever i could. The Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire with capability of seating 60000 spectators, built for gladiatorial combats in 70-80 AD – this was what i had read about the Colosseum but i can asur anyone who will ever see it, that it IS one of the wonders of the world. Keeping in mind the technology of the time and the greatness of artichecture of the structure is like an unbelievable task.
The other sites in it worth mentioning and seeing are the Roman Forum, the Domus Aurea, the Pantheon, Trajan’s Column,Trajan’s Market,the several catacombs area, theCircus Maximus,the Baths of Caracalla, Castel Sant’Angelo,the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Ara Pacis, the , the Pyramid of Cestius, and the Bocca della Verità. Each representing its own greatness of art and history.

One of the things which i already knew and wanted to witness was the smallest nation in the world – Vatican City- it is surrounded by Rome, and hosts Saint Peter’s square with Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Villas and museums deserve an eye which can appreciate the true beauty, they have a historical background that can astonish anyone and still proving themselves the wonders of the modern world. The culture which is protected and respected in Rome also adds to its beauty, the original language is reported to be Latin but now it has evolved to Italian.

Apart from the fact that it is an ancient city, it is in no aspect a backward one, the technology used there is visible from the transport system not only provided everywhere but managed in a good way too. The living standard was also all upto the mark and the Rome Hotels were equally good to as people brag about Paris Hotels and Dublin Hotels.

Now about my Spain visit,I visited it last year when I had vacations after my Exams and i had read in one the books the about the beauty of Barcelona, not only this but i wanted to see the place which was known to have come in being in 3^rd Century BC ( according to some legends). This time i had choice to choose and i opted for Spain, Barcelona was one of the marvellous cities of Spain i had a chance to visit. We had a guide to help us in being able to see all the charms of Barcelona.

He was not a professional but had some old ties with the family so volunteered the job. The first place i wanted to visit was Plaça Catalunya it had a historical background, and then came the commercial areas of the city, as it’s known to be one of the major economic centers. The parks and both the beaches are marvelous. Going to Barcelona without visiting them is like comparable to not even going there. I visited the museums too, because one of the chief objectives, apart from having a change, was to dig in the pages of history and see the things that are still available to be witnessed.

The people of Barcelona and their culture presents a beautiful image, it’s a bilingual city with the two languages, Spanish and Catalan spoken widely, I was told that the Catalan culture was repressed in the days of democracy those days, but now they are working on it to give it the- respect it deserves. Barcelona has a comprehensive local public transport network that includes a metro, a bus network, two separate tram networks and several funiculars, aerial cable cars, one airport and a seaport which has an honor of being the ninth largest container port of Europe.Just like any good city the Barcelona Hotels were as good as the ones mentioned before, living here was though a bit expensive than i thought but the overall experience was fabulous.

When you visit Asian countries, the first thing you’ll realize about them is that one way or the other there architectural and cultural backgrounds are some what or in fact quite similar specially in there main cities, for cities like Delhi in India, Lahore in Pakistan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand, the architectural background is way too similar, Pakistan and India have the same culture though but they have similarities with Malaysia, Burma and Thailand etc mainly because of its Asian Culture.

Bangkok when it comes to presentation is the true heart of the Asia, with being the capital of the apparel king Thailand, Bangkok is a city really worth a visit, and probably the amount of tourist pouring into it every now and than makes this as the 22nd populous city of the world. What it has to offer is way beyond anyone can imagine, a rich asian culture with unique food and clothing, elegant and stylish yet simple architectural infrastructure really makes Bangkok a true speaker of Asia’s culture.

Please read the article about Bangkok here…..