Athens citybreak

The Greek capital is a paradox of qualities: ancient and modern, relaxed and full of life. Athens also boasts an amazing climate and lively inhabitants. Despite initial scepticism, Athens enjoyed an Olympiad refurbishment in preparation for the 2004 Games. Although the efforts didn't quite match those of Barcelona, the capital opened a new airport, sorted out its troublesome metro system and scrubbed up the Omonoia and Waterfront districts - both now abuzz with modish bars and restaurants.

The most pleasant time to visit Athens is in the spring or early summer, before the tourist rush in July and August when the city functions as a frenetic gateway to the islands. You should consider the climate if travelling during the summer or winter as it is prone to the odd extremity - 35 degrees in the mid-summer and 5 degrees in late winter.

Where to stay: ATHENS HOTELS

Athens hotels, can be found and booked online on travel web site www.medestino.com

What to see:

THE ACROPOLIS: One of the great icons of Western civilisation, you have to take a deep breathe in order to brace the crowds of meandering backpackers who visits Acropolis daily. Some three million visitors come here yearly.

ERECHTHEON: Located just north of Parthenon on the Acropolis hill, this is Athens' most sacred ground - where an olive tree sprung up at Athena's touch during a battle for possession of the city, and where Poseidon plunged his spear into a rock, creating a massive waterfall. The capital has enjoyed a plentiful supply of both nutritious olives and reviving fresh water ever since.

PARTHENON: Dedicated to the goddess of Athena, the Parthenon - the white marble building on top of the Acropolis hill - remains Athens' greatest symbol. Famed for its architectural symmetry, it also houses surviving friezes and marble metopes, though the best examples are still residing in the British Museum. Open daily.

THE NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSUEM: Patissíon 44, 106 82 Athens (00 30 210 821 7717; fax: 00 30 210 821 3573; www.culture.gr). Another essential visit, the National Archaeological Museum boasts the finest collection of Classical Greek art in the world. The frescoes on the second floor were severely damaged during the Athens earthquake of 1999, and restoration remains ongoing. Probably best to give yourself time for more than one visit. Open daily.

BENAKI MODERN ART MUSEUM: 1 Koumbari Street, 106 74 Athens (00 30 210 367 1000; fax: 00 30 210 367 1063; www.benaki.gr; It looks just like an ark adrift in an industrial wasteland - but the new Benaki Museum is a magnet for design junkies. The red-marble façade conceals an atrium lined with steel mesh and blinds, a café, bookstore and an architectural archive.

THEATRE OF DIONYSOS AND ODEION OF HERODES ATTICUS: Odos Dionissiou Areopayitou (00 30 210 322 4625; fax: 00 30 210 923 9023). Located on the south slope of the Acropolis, the Odeion is a semi-circular theatre still plays host to a summer festival of classical drama and music performances and the occasional gig by the likes of Jean Michel Jarre.

Bucharest , our citybreak choice

My family and I recently visited Bucharest. My sister recommended us to search on www.medestino.com for a Belgrade hotel and for any special hotel deals. We picked up Bucharest Hilton as our hotel to stay, booked it online and received our confirmation instantly. We purchased our flight tickets directly from Aegean Airlines to fly from Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to Bucharest. The flight was great and so was the service. Bucharest's Otopeni airport is situated 16km north of the centre so we rented a car from Hertz which has is open from 8am-8pm. We arrived at the Hilton hotel, checked in easily and got our rooms.

All perfect!!

Bucharest is a city for fantasists with a wealth of history. The Greek Viceroys ruled the city in the name of the imperial government in Istanbul until 1821. Dubbed the 'Paris of the East', for its cosmopolitan social scene and architecture, the city's grand avenues recall its pre-World War II heyday when the Romanian aristocracy were among the richest in Europe. Today, the city is an eccentric cocktail of faded elegance, failed megalomania and flashy
Bucharest is one of Europe's great museum cities. Originally occupied by Dacians, colonised by Greeks and Romans, invaded by Turks, it has a turbulent past. Yet one which has left a remarkable ark of treasures, notably, the National Art Museum and the Natural History Museum.

We visited several museums and places of interest :
THE ROYAL PALACE AND NATIONAL ART MUSEUM: The former Royal Palace is the most imposing of the buildings surrounding the Piata Revolutiei. Since 1950 the Palace has housed the National Art Museum in its southern wing. Open Wed to Sun 10am-6pm.

CALEA VICTORIEI, 'VICTORY AVENUE': This has been Bucharest's most fashionable address, with marked contrasts; elegant and sleepy at its northern end, and an eclectic jumble of old apartment buildings, shops selling cakes and Western couture at the southern end.

THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Calea Victoriei 12. This museum houses plaster casts from Trajan's Column covered with depictions of his Dacian campaigns, as well as Greek, Roman and medieval tombstones and carvings. A basement vault displays Romania's national treasures, a dazzling display of gold and jewellery, from prehistoric finds, to Queen Marie's crown and the casket said to hold her heart, to the sceptres of Ferdinand I and Carol II.

THE PALACE OF PARLIAMENT: This colossal Palace is the third biggest building in the world, after the Pentagon and Potala. It epitomises the megalomania that overtook Ceausescu in the 1980s. Here he intended to house ministries, Communist Party offices and the apartments of high functionaries. The interiors are lavishly decorated with marble and gold leaf and there are 4,500 chandeliers. The decoration was never finished due to Ceausescus' ever-changing whims.

We did try some local dishes: The best known is sarmale, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, meat and herbs, usually served with sour cream or horseradish. These are also made with vine leaves or with corn. Mamaliga, maize mush or polenta, is often served with sour cream and especially associated with shepherds and rustic outdoor life. Muschi ciobanesc is pork stuffed with ham, covered with cheese and served with mayonnaise, cucumber and herbs. Keep an eye out for regional specialities, Moldavian cooking is reputedly the best in Romania, featuring rissoles and other more elaborate dishes.


Markos Provopoulos

Dubrovnik

Post-war restoration has put the Old City back on the map as one of Europe's most beautiful and enchanting. It is a place for quiet exploration and relaxing, as well as sunbathing and swimming. Dubrovnik's airport is situated some 20km south of the city, close to the resort town of Cavtat. Croatian Airlines fly to Dubrovnik.

If you are going for longer than a weekend, it would be worth combining your trip with a visit to one of the Dalmatian Islands, which are easily accessible by Jadrolinja ferry. Check the timetable and plan your itinerary before you leave, since not every island is accessible every day - and don’t buy your ticket in this country before you leave, because it will cost a fraction of the hard currency price if you buy it on the quay.
Via www.medestino.com you can arrange good deals on air tickets and you can alsobook hotels and arrange transfers. Dubrovnik is a great city break destination all-year round. The Dubrovnik festival of classical music and theatre, which runs from July to August, attracts soloists from around the world and offers opportunities to attend concerts in some of the Old City's most beautiful buildings. The best time to go to visit the nearby beaches and islands is during the summer, from June to September.

There are plenty of things to do. Wander along the narrow cobbled streets (some only a couple of metres wide) and elegant squares of Dubrovnik. There is no shortage of museums and churches to visit, including The Dominican Monastery near the Ploce Gate, still home to an order of monks. The Rector’s Palace, a 15th-century Venetian palace, is also worth a look. There is an aquarium by the harbour, next to the Maritime Museum. Along the coast, the water is beautifully clear, the beaches are not sandy but flat and rocky. Boats to local islands come and go all day.

Fish is particularly prevalent along the coast and the country’s proximity to Italy has also had an influence on the cuisine. You”ll find superb shellfish and squid risottos, abundant and affordable lobster and, of course, plenty of pizzas and pastas.

By Marina Sanetti

Belgrade ,Serbia: When to go and what to do

Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and the national capital. Situated at the historic borders of eastern and western empires, Belgrade has been shaped by its history, each leaving traces as new generations continue to build and fight over this highly prized city. Unraveling the mystery and attraction of Belgrade means looking at this history, while enjoying and getting caught up in its passionate demeanor.

Conquered and rebuilt by Celts, Romans, Slavs, Turks, and Austro-Hungarians, the Kalemegdan Fortress anchors the city to its strategically important position at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. Once a battleground, it is now a peaceful retreat from a bustling city. From its walls you can see the modern regional economic center of New Belgrade rising across the river and feel how important this crossroads city is.

Back in the city, cafés are packed with lively people, unloading leisurely onto the sidewalks during the summer months or packed in heated conversation during the winter. An eclectic mix of architecture marks new trends next to Belgrade's heritage, and a city that has always led change in the area continues to progress. Just as it has to its many inhabitants, Belgrade will amaze and surprise its visitors as it goes through yet another rebirth.

With impressive views over the Danube and Sava rivers, Belgrade's Kalemegdan Fortress is home to several city museums, galleries, memorials, the planetarium, and zoo, as well as smart cafés, restaurants and paths filled with locals and tourists seeking tranquility in the city. The fortress's historic walls shape its exterior and interior, holding in elm trees and a well-kept park, which peacefully replace a long succession of rulers and their warriors.

Walking back into the city, along the pedestrian street Knez Mihailova, 19^th century Belgrade architecture lines the city's most traveled shopping thoroughfare. In summer, the center of the street becomes an extended outdoor café. Restaurants and galleries are located on the side streets leading to and from Knez Mihailova, which ends up at Trg Republike (Republic Square). Now a popular meeting point surrounded by cafés and the grand buildings of the National Museum (under reconstruction currently, though with frequent exhibits in its atrium) and National Theater (home to the city's major opera, ballet, orchestra and theater performances), this square was the center of protest and revolution during the last decade.

Belgrade expands outward from there, east to the district of Dorcol and its fashionable cafés and restaurants on Strahinica Bana, as well as the artist's quarter of Skardarlija and its cobbled Skadarska street, where you can find classic kafanas (taverns) serving traditional Serbian dishes as musicians roam from table to table.

Extending south is Belgrade's business and government center, with the national parliament, city hall, former royal residence and the skyline-dominating Beogradjanka. The world's largest Orthodox church, St. Sava (open to the public during its continued construction), can be found just past that in a park along with the National Library.

In the Vracar district you can find Belgrade's stately urban residences, one of which now houses the Museum of Nikola Tesla, home to the influential scientist's legacy to electrical engineering. In Dedinje, a leafy suburb with embassies, ambassador's residences and the city's most expensive mansions, is located the Mausoleum of Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavia's former president-for-life.

Across the Sava River lies the Usce park, a spacious green space that holds the city's tallest building and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The park is a popular place for runners and walkers, as well as the many people who visit the restaurants, clubs and cafés located on the boats that are moored on the riverbanks. The boats stretch all the way up the Danube, inside Great War Island, to the city of Zemun, the former Austro-Hungarian southern stronghold.

During the summer, the city's population escapes to Ada Ciganlija, an island in the Sava that is home to a several kilometer long café-lined beach around its lake, an extensive system of parks and athletic areas, as well as more clubs that work through the hot summer nights.

The Kalemegdan Citadel (Belgrade Fortress) straddles a hilltop overlooking the junction of the Sava and the Danube. Religious landmarks include the Cathedral Church (Saborna Crkva). Go to the National Museum is interesting, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Ethnographical Museum. Well worth a visit is the Palace of Princess Ljubica (1831) with a good collection of period furniture. Skadarlija is the 19th-century Bohemian quarter with cafes, street performers, art galleries and antique shops. Near Kraljevo is the restored Monastery of Zica, now painted bright red as it was in Medieval times. It was there that the Kings of Serbia were crowned. The Kalenic Monastery is a fine example of Serbian style.

Cuisine varies greatly from one region to another. On the whole, the meat specialities are better than the fish dishes. National specialities: are Pihtije (jellied pork or duck), Cevapcici (charcoal-grilled minced meat), Raznjici (skewered meat), Sarma or japrak (vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice), Strukli (nuts and plums stuffed into cheese balls and then boiled), Alva (nuts crushed in honey), Lokum (Turkish Delight).

Cinemas stay open until 2300, restaurants until midnight and nightclubs until 0300. Belgrade has excellent nightlife with a range of performance arts to enjoy: Operas, concerts, theatre, many late-night cafes and clubs.

Shopping: Special purchases include embroidery, lace, leatherwork, Pec filigree work, metalwork and Turkish coffee sets. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1700-2000, Sat 0800-1500 (many shops are open all day Sat).

By Suzan Everton

Travel to the top of the Brocken – Harz - Germany

Travel to the top of the Brocken by Brockenbahn and enjoy a ride on one of the oldest steam trains still in operation.
The train runs from the town of Vernigerode via Drei Ahnen Hohne and Schierke to the 1,142 metre high summit. The journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Here you can experience every inch and lurch of the journey as the train ploughs deeper and deeper into the forest. The upward climb is dramatic with gaps in the trees revealing steep cliffs and boulderstrewn waterfalls.
Thanks to medestino.com we also found the perfect hotel in Hahnenklee only 30 min drive from Schierke.

Photos will follow soon... :)

By John and Susan Sbarow!!!

We would like to share our lovely holiday experience we had in the island of Corfu in Greece. We originally tried to find a hotel in Corfu via internet via various internet sites and then a friend recommended to us to visit www.medestino.com . He said that this web site is perfects as it offers great hotel deals online and it is easy to find cheap hotel prices online.

The site had so many choices that it actually helped us to find quickly what we were looking for. We booked the Coral resort hotel in Roda, Corfu. On medestino.com we found a special offer on this hotel so we booked a 2 weeks holiday there. As we are from UK we could easily find a cheap flight so the Sbarow family holiday plan was finally set. When we arrived at the airport we easily found the taxi that drove us to our hotel.

When we arrived at Coral hotel we gave to reception the voucher we had from medestino.com and received our room keys. The hotel rooms were great and kids loved the fact that the beach was just in front of the hotel. We loved the environment and the style of this hotel, so friendly and so cosmopolitan at the same time. We enjoyed our 2 weeks holiday in Corfu visiting various interesting places, museums, the old part of Corfu town, Paleokastritsa, Achilion Palace and so many other. On medestino.com we found so much information about the local places so we were quite prepared what to do and where to go.

We mostly enjoyed visiting 2 times the city of Corfu. The 'Old City' recalls past ages; the European influences are visible everywhere and harmoniously coexist, giving to the city a special color. Maybe, in the high summer, the narrow streets of the city, named cantunia, are crowded, but for the visitor there is always a quiet place in the narrow alleys or under the shaded squares to enjoy a chilled ginger beer. The Corfiot housewives suspend their laundry over the streets and underneath, lost in the labyrinth of the alleys, the visitor discovers the workshops of silversmiths and woodcarvers. Some parts of the city and the greater area of the Municipality of Corfu are modern, but everywhere Venetian, French and British traces can be found to remind us that the Turks never conquered Corfu.

Palaces, fortresses, museums, libraries, galleries, churches, interesting public buildings and privet mansions, public, privet and archaeological sites, sites of natural and special interest, traditional houses, verdurous olive groves, picturesque ports and blue beaches make an unexpected puzzle on the area of the Municipality of Corfu, that lives speechless even the most demanding visitor.

We very much enjoyed the local cuisine in one of the many picturesque little-taverns of the city. Corfu, Greece was a great holiday choice and we are now so glad that we booked our hotel via www.medestino.com .

So we are more than glad to recommend to our friends to choose to visit Corfu and Greece to have a lovely holiday under the sun and yes to book a hotel in Corfu via medestino.com!!

From a friend

I visited Belgrade last week together with my wife and the children. I booked the hotel via www.medestino.com and paid a very good price indeed. I traveled to Belgrade by car and found it easy to get around. People are friendly and there is plenty of things to do and see during your stay in Belgrade. The hotel we stayed is called Moscow and is located in the heart of the city. We were offered a very nice room overlooking the busy high street, full of lights and life. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube in north central Serbia, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula. With a population of 1.630.000, Belgrade is the largest city in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, second largest city on the Danube river and the fourth largest in Southeastern Europe, after Istanbul, Athens, and Bucharest.

One of the oldest cities of Europe, with archeological finds tracing settlements as early as 6th millennium BC, Belgrade's wider city area was the birthplace of the largest prehistoric culture of Europe, the Vinča culture. The city was discovered by the Greeks, founded and named by the Celts (White City, name it still bears), awarded city rights by the Romans before it was permanently settled by White Serbs from the 600s onwards. As a strategic key, the city was battled over in 140 separate wars since the ancient period by countless armies of the East and West. In medieval times, it was in the possession of Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian rulers. In 1521 Belgrade was conquered by the Ottomans and became the seat of the Pashaluk of Belgrade, as the principal city of Ottoman Europe and among the largest European cities.

Frequently passing from Ottoman to Austrian rule, the status of Serbian capital would be regained only in 1841, after the Serbian revolution. Northern Belgrade, though, remained an Austrian outpost until the breakup of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The united city then became the capital of several incarnations of Yugoslavia, up to 2006, when Serbia became an independent state again.

We had the opportunity to visit many museums and historical places as well as enjoy the Serbian cuisine and wine. Great time and definitely great value for money!