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I have been to Fraser Island several times and know I'll go back some day again. It is the most magical place with an atmosphere of purity, freshness and breathtaking, gentle beauty. There are sand dunes, freshwater lakes with sand so fine you can polish your jewellery (if you have any) with it, long white beaches, the purest breed of dingoes in Australia(we saw a whole lot of dingo puppies), crystal creeks and rivers you can drink from while you swim. This is truly Paradise!

Kutna Hora makes a great half/ full day trip from Prague. I have great memories of this place and it is well worth the short trip out here. The centre is quite nice with a few interesting churches and some nice back alleys to lose yourself in, however the highlight is Sv. Barbara’s Cathedral which is particularly impressive. The approach to it is lined with statues, similar to Prague’s Charles Bridge, with lovely views over the river valley below. The roof and flying buttresses make the cathedral spectacular and make it different from many other cathedrals on the list. The interior is nice but nothing really spectacular.

The train station is quite a way from the town centre. You can catch a bus up but I would recommend walking as this would means you can call into a strange addition to the site which is the Ossuary in Sedlec. It is just off the main road to the centre. The interior of the church like building is decorated with bones in a particularly intricate way.

There are a fair few nice restaurants and cafes in the centre to while away the time. There is enough to see here for a few very laid back days, however it is a very viable day trip from the capital. It is only an hour’s train journey, though you may have to change trains at Kolin to take the local train one stop south.

This is a quaint little village seemingly untouched by the modern European world around it. It is a decent place to visit if you have a few hours to kill on your way to/from Èesky Krumlov or Èesky Budejovice. From the later it is about a 45 minute bus trip from the central bus station, located opposite the train station.

The village is basically four rows of houses around a green with a little pond and very very small chapel.

All of the buildings are built in the Bohemian Folk Baroque style and are pretty nice to look at. Two of them have pub/ café’s in them so provide you with a bit of entertainment whilst you wait for the next bus. They seem to be scheduled to give you about an hour in the village, which to be honest is more than enough time as there is not much to see at all.

I very much doubt I would have visited if it were not for it being another site to tick of the list. Whilst it is not exceptional it is well preserved example of vernacular architecture, something which is mostly over looked in Europe in favour of more monumental sites.

Overall it makes a nice day if teamed with a few hours in Èesky Budejovice which should include a trip to the Budvar (Original Budwiser) brewery which has a fantastic and really cheap restaurant.

First things first; Prague has a lot of tourists! However its massive charm is more than enough to make this one of Europe's most impressive destinations.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I can not think of a setting I have seen that can beat the combination of Vltava Charles Bridge, Mala Strana and Prasky Hrad (Castle). The beer is the best in the world and competes to be the cheapest (and I would like to point out this is not just in terms of Western Europe this is still the cheapest quality beer I have come across!) This would be enough for me but Prague throws more at you. Staromestka namesti (Old Town Square) is taken directly from a fairy tale, Joefov is one of the oldest Jewish settlements in Europe, Vaclavsky Namesti (Wenceslas Square) is dripping with contemporary history. On top of this you have one of the densest clusters of Art Nouveau art anywhere in Europe; with Obcedni Dum ranking amongst the very elite of this style in architectural terms. Then there are the outlying parts such as Vysehrad to add to this. All is then mixed with an artistic heritage which even by Central European terms is amazing.

And it is only once you see all this you can appreciate why you will no longer have Prague to yourself. It may have changed a lot since 1989 but this is still a city that should feature highly on any traveller's itinerary.

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I have spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic and travelled pretty extensively around it, and I don't think I saw anywhere as beautiful as Cesky Krumlov.

The centre is a maze of alleys and streets moving up hill and down to the river banks. It is perhaps a cliché but the town is like the setting for a fairy tale.

There are quite a few tourists going around in groups during the day, but it is manageable. I would recommend staying at least a night and relaxing with a few glasses of beer whilst the day trippers rush by. Then head out for some exploring when it has quietened down a little, and then finding another pub.

We rented canoes and paddled through the centre and carried on a few hours down stream. This was a great way to view the centre of the town, especially the brightly coloured castle.

Cesky Krumlov is a real gem and a highlight of central Europe. It is well worth of a trip down from Prague for a couple of days to recover from the crowds.

The Palace and Gardens are a reasonably interesting half day trip from Olomouc. The Palace is just off of the main square and there are regular tours. The interior is pretty a standard European palace, though the library was nice. I spent an inordinate amount of time looking at the two impressive Coronelli globes, which were the highlight for me.

If you would like a preview of what to expect from the interior this palace was used extensively for the interior scenes of the film Amadeus.

There is an English garden behind the palace which was reasonably nice. A little further out, about a 10 minute walk, are the more formal flower gardens. These were a little more interesting and the Rotunda and colonnade were nice accompaniments to the flower beds.

The train station is a little way from the centre but it is a fairly simple walk to the the attractions.

Overall I wouldn't recommend travelling a long way to see this site, however if you have a half day spare whilst in the area it is a fairly worthwhile trip, but if your time in Moravia is limited I would recommend spending more time wandering aimlessly in the parks and cobbled streets of Olomouc.

Well,I´ve been there and it´s very beautiful city, with the architecture very similar to northern europe cities. Wonderfull some kind of hanza houses, with the fantastic gothic town hall and Cathedrale of St. Egidius, surrounded by amazing fortifications with many gates

If you´ll visit it, then also visit Bardejov Spa, it´s not to far away and it´s very calm and amazing place.

Most of the tourist sites in China, such as the Ming tombs have concession tickets for the elderly over 65 or 70. Some places requires you to be 65, while some requires you to be 70 in order to qualify for 50% off the adult admission rate. If I remember correctly, the Ming Tombs offer 50% off for seniors above 65. Do remember to bring along your I.D. to prove your age.

Overall, I think it was a nice place to visit, but it will get extremely crowded in the underground palace. There were many local chinese visitors and most of them were quite rude and pushy. Do beware of your personal belongings as the locals have a very bad habit of pushing their way through instead of saying "excuse me".

Having spent several months on site, I was amazed by the site itself, but sincerely dissappointed with administartion. Forced relocations, haphazard local implementation of UNESCO policy, pervasive corruption, commodification of culture, locals barred from access due to exorbitantly high ticket fees. Human rights is certianly not a priority as anyone who gives voice to these concerns is threaten with arrest or worse. I do hope for change.

These four houses are some of the finest city residences in Europe, and in my view the finest works of the Art Nouveau movement. The main problem is that the incredible interiors are mostly out of bounds for mere mortals. The exception is Musée Horta, which is my ‘Must See’ sight in Brussels. It is a fairly small museum but the incredible detail of design can be seen on every surface, even the most functional aspects of the interior, such as the door handles have been laboured over. The canopy at the top of the staircase is incredible.

Though they may look twee and escapist the buildings were actually at the forefront of technological advancement, using iron as the frame of the buildings and actually exposing it, as it was a revolutionary technique at the time.

Of the façades that can be seen Hotel Van Eetvelde is perhaps the finest, Hotel Solvay has some great details the ornament of the door and the numbers are great. Hotel Tassel from the outside looks pretty uninspiring, however inside lies perhaps the finest piece of Horta’s work, the mosaic floor and painted walls of the staircase are sublime. On two occasions I have even chosen to stand outside having a cup of coffee in the hope that the owner would walk by, take pity on me and allow me a quick glimpse, needless to say this has never happened.

There are many great Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels, my favourite is the Old …

The works of Gaudi are possibly the biggest tourist attraction in Barcelona so these sites are very busy but still very impressive.

Unfortunately Palacio Güell was closed when I was there, so I could only see the façade which is impressive but not as adventurous as the later buildings, but the iron gates are very nice. Also it is very close to the La Rambla so very central, and provides a good starting point if you want to then head north to see the other building’s in Barcelona’s two UNESCO sites.

La Pedresa (Casa Mila) is on Passig de Gracia which is a hive of modernist architecture including Gaudi’s Casa Batillio which recently been added to the UNESCO site and to my eye it has the most impressive façade. La Pedresa is very popular so there are long queue to get in but the roof sculptures are brilliant the vaulted attic holds some interesting exhibits, the apartment however is a little dull and nothing out of the ordinary really. (Maybe not such a useful point but this was the UNESCO site with the most attractive and helpful staff I have ever visited!).

The massive Sagrada Famillia is perhaps Barcelona’s most famous site, and I guess the most visited building site in the world (although maybe New York has a claim to this now as well). It is massive in scale and the amount of time it has/will take to complete. The crypt and the museum have some interesting parts, the …

The two buildings on here are quite a way apart from each other in Barcelona but can both be seen easily if you want to spend a couple of hours touring this fantastic cities main sites.

The Hospital San Pau is very impressive and just up the road from Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia so makes a great reason to travel up to see it. The decoration is fantastic and it seems hard to believe that this is still a functioning hospital as the level of design that has gone into it is immense.

The Palau de la Musica Catalana has an impressive façade that is hard to take in due to the tight nature of the Barri Gothic area, if you can get inside though it is massively impressive. The tour costs €8 and includes a video introduction but nothing can compete with the main auditorium which is absolutely stunning. The place seems to just ooze music knowledge and again the craftsmanship is apparelled, and the stained glass roof was perhaps the highlight of the whole city for me it is just a staggering piece of work and the only time I have seen 3-D stained glass worth the admission price in itself. There is only one problem and that is you are not allowed to take any photos inside!

I lived in this area for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It is truly an amazing people and an amazing cultural experience. The architecture is phenomenal and a prideful part of their lives. There is not a lot of infrastructure develped for tourists. So visitors need to be aware of that and accomodating. Organization for toursits can also be confusing as there is currently no good set up of finding a guide, renting a car, lodging, etc. Try and make sure who you are paying is really a local person and be respectful of the community. There have been some negative effects of tourism already. Children chase cars and people beg for gifts. Don't give out gifts. But always ask before taking photographs and pay them if they ask for money or give them some other small gift.

If you are in Madagascar then, as was ours in April 2000, your prime objective is probably to see Lemur and the other unique ecological aspects of the country . However, the Malagasy history and culture is interesting too having developed from the first immigrants – coming, not from Africa, but some 1500 years ago from the area of present day Indonesia and Malaysia. Meeting the people and seeing their way of life and rituals/ritual objects is also a major plus point for the country.

Ambohimanga, the main “historic site”, is only 20 kms from the capital and should NOT be missed whilst you are there. By the time the British and French vied for control over Madagsacar in the 19th century Madagascar was ruled by a royal line of the Merina clan who came from the highland area around Antananarivo. Ambohimanga was their Palace and later, as Antananarivo became the capital, it in developed as the weekend retreat for the royal family.

The place has a peaceful atmosphere made more poignant by the history of what happened to the royal family who used it. In 1890 the British eventually gave way to the French in return for a free hand in Zanzibar and the French invaded Madagsacar in 1895 eventually deposing the Queen and exiling her to Algeria. The family was never allowed to return by the French.

The compound is beautifully set in green countryside looking over a rice paddy filled plain reaching back to …

My Parents and I went to Weimar in 2001 on the way to the north of Germany. Although it was quite cold because it was autumn the town was lovely to look at. The sun was shining and we could sit outside drinking coffee. The house of Goethe was very interesting to look at because seeing all those pictures furniture and also instruments he used to experiment gave a good inside in what kind of person Goethe was. He was close to being an universal human being like Leonardo DaVinci.

One very practical thing about Weimar is that it is not too big in terms of distances. You can walk just about everywhere and there are not only sights but also the lovely pedestrian zone with shops and cafes.

Unfortunately we only had a few hours there but I am really looking forward to visiting Weimar again but this time it will be right in the focus of my trip.

Having travelled pretty extensively in Flanders, I have managed to see quite a few Begijnhofs. The most impressive one I have seen so far is the Groot Begijnhof of Leuven. It is quite large and the quiet winding cobbled streets and redbrick houses are a lovely place to wander, especially if you are recovering from a long night in this superb cities student bars.

Whilst visiting friends in Gent I wandered around for a morning visiting the Begijnhofs there. Both of the inscribed areas were quiet refuges and displayed all the hallmarks associated with this style of urban planning. Sint-Amandsberg was a longish walk from the centre however it was very large and was the last example to be built. Walking around it was nice to see that it was still fully inhabited; there were lots of children being dropped off by their parents at one house which was decorated by balloons.

One of the most charming examples was in Kortrijk. This walled community is tucked just behind the main market square but it feels incredibly serene. In here there is a small museum dedicated to the lives of the beguines, and also one of the houses is now a guest house, offering perhaps the only opportunity for a short term stay for the casual tourist.

Even the Begijnhof in Brugge is calm in comparison to the rest of the tourist bustle of the city. This is where the real charm of the Begijnhofs lies; they are exceptionally well preserved …

Visiting the classical of all classical World Heritage Sites – The Acropolis of Athens - could not have been a better for me. Having got up early on a bright and sunny Saturday morning in July, I was rewarded with an almost empty town - still in its morning slumber yet to wake up to a new busy day. From my hotel near the Omonia square I walked pass the fish market, where the smell of fresh fish told that new day of commerce was just about to begin, down to the Monastraki square where only one or two of the many souvenir shops had yet opened their doors.

Before walking up the Acropolis hill I sat myself down on one of the many outdoor cafes in Plaka and ordered a cold cappuccino, a quite a popular drink all around Greece I later found out. But I guess anything that is COLD in a country where it’s usually +35 half of the year is highly appreciated.

Walking up the hill did not prove to be as exhausting as many of my friends had told me. The recommendation to be early proved to be hundred percent correct though. Even if I arrived at the entrance at quarter passed eight in the morning on a Saturday, it was still quite a number of tourists already in place. To avoid them as much as possible I quickly walked up the last bit to the magnificent entrance of the Acropolis - the Propylaia - …

After having visited the Giants Causeway on Northern Ireland I continued down to Belfast to catch the fast-ferry over to Scotland. I apologise sincerely to all Belfastians but I was not very impressed by the city so I decided to wait for my boat in the harbour for a couple of hours. This was certainly not the most exquisite area of the town but when standing there, I found myself overlooking a shipyard on the other side of the harbour, a wharf named Harland & Wolff and suddenly I realised that this was the site where once the magnificent Titanic was built, back in 1911-12…wow, historic grounds…!

When I later boarded the ferry that was going to take me across the Irish Sea it turned out to be something along the lines of Titanic's grandeur -

the worlds largest catamaran, a 160 meter long ship with a top speed of over 40 knots that would have envied the 1911 shipbuilders in Harland & Wolff if they would have had the opportunity to experience this amazing ship of the 21st century.

Arriving Glasgow late in the evening, I decided to withdraw to my hotel room and save my energy for my visit to the cotton mill New Lanark on the following morning. For those not as exhausted by travelling as I was at this point, Glasgow provides you with a very good nightlife and numerous nice bars. Pubs and clubs are just waiting to cater for European party-connoisseurs that come up …

After attending a business conference on western Ireland i couldn’t wait to get myself on a bus up to Northern Ireland and the famous Giants Causeway coast line - Northern Irelands only World Heritage Site and a remarkable piece of nature scenery that I’ve been interested in visiting for quite some time.

Spending the day on the bus from Galway to Londonderry and then by train to Colerain on the Northern coast gave me a thorough view of the famous green Irish landscape and the small villages along the way. And when the bus passed the northwestern mountains, with its snow covered peaks, my thoughts went immediately to the Lords of the Ring. And it would not have surprised me a bit if a couple of hobs had hopped on the bus….or maybe the actually did…?

A twenty-minute taxi-ride took ne from Colerain station straight to the Causeway Hotel, opened in 1836 and located right by the coastline cliffs. If you ever decide to visit the Causeway, the Causeway Hotel is an absolute must and just as classical in its own Northern Irelandish way, as Raffels in Singapore or The Ritz in London.

The actual World Heritage Causeway Coast runs further down towards Belfast and includes quite a lot more than the areas north of Bushmill where I went. But it is on the other hand here where you find the classical part and probably the most beautiful and dramatic scenery. It is also here you will find the famous …

I visited Blaenavon's Big Pit on a school trip. I found it very interesting to actually see what it was like for miners when they had to work in the dark, damp and dusty environment. We had to go underground in a sort of cage lift. At one piont we had to turn off our lights, it was pitch black!!! Children had to work in these conditions every single day for upto around ten hours. i just wouldn't have coped. Any way it is a very memorable experience and you should vist it yourself (if you haven't already!)have fun!!!!