Text by Nicolò Villa

 

Finding things to do in Dubai during a vacation is never a problem, as the city offers several opportunities to explore its attractions based on one's interests and available time. You can begin by taking a tour of Dubai city and the historic Al Fahidi neighborhood, visiting interesting museums such as the Museum of the Future or mosques, or climbing the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. You can also indulge in a shopping tour at the city's most famous malls, such as the Dubai Mall. Among the most interesting tours to take are the Dubai Desert Safari, a cruise along Dubai Creek, exploring Dubai's artificial islands, or visiting the Dubai Miracle Garden.

 

 

The tour offers an opportunity to explore the Dubai desert with the guidance of an expert in a 4x4 off-road vehicle. It's a unique experience that allows you to discover Arab culture and the beauty of the desert with spectacular views of the sand dunes. Once you reach the base camp in the desert, there are several activities to do, such as walking, sandboarding, quad or camel riding, trying traditional costumes, getting henna tattoos, enjoying a traditional Arabian barbecue dinner, watching a belly dance show, and finally admiring the stars in the desert night sky, an unforgettable experience.

 

 

The tour lasts for about 6-7 hours and comfortable clothing with a scarf to protect from sand during the desert drive is recommended, and since temperatures in the desert can be quite high during the day, it's best to bring water and sunscreen.

 

 

The Dubai Creek boat tour is an incredible experience to explore one of Dubai's most iconic landmarks in a unique and fascinating way. The tour usually starts at the Deira bridge, where there are several options to choose from, such as a motorboat or a traditional boat called an abra (a small flat-bottomed boat, usually made of wood, used to cross the Creek from one shore to the other). On board the boat, you can enjoy breathtaking views of Dubai's skyline with its famous skyscrapers, the Jumeirah Mosque, the Emir's Palace, and the Al Fahidi Fort. The tour continues with a cruise along the Creek, Dubai's canal that divides the city into two parts, Deira and Bur Dubai.

 

 

During the tour, you can admire local markets, souks (the Grand Souk of Al Ras is one of the most beautiful), which sell spices, fabrics, gold, and local crafts. The cruise is relaxing and allows you to observe Dubai's most important places from a different perspective.

 

 

The tour of Dubai's artificial islands is an interesting excursion to explore Palm Jumeirah, Deira Island, and World Island. Starting from the city's coast, you can admire spectacular views, imposing skyscrapers, white beaches, and the blue Arabian Sea. On Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island shaped like a palm tree, you can discover the luxurious architecture of hotels, restaurants, and private villas. Here, among the most interesting places to visit, there is the famous Atlantis The Palm Hotel and the Atlantis Mall.

 

 

Deira Island, another artificial island in front of Dubai's coast, is renowned for its modern and luxurious architecture and Deira Mall, one of the city's largest shopping malls. World Island, where some of Dubai's most exclusive villas are located, is an artificial archipelago of islands shaped like a world map. The tour, which lasts about 4-5 hours and includes transportation to and from the hotel with an expert multilingual guide, is a beautiful experience to see Dubai's architecture up close while enjoying splendid landscapes.

 

 

The Dubai Miracle Garden, located in the Dubailand area, is one of the largest and most spectacular gardens in the world, housing over 50 million flowers and plants. Here, you can admire the incredible beauty of artistically cultivated flowers that form record-breaking floral shapes and sculptures. There are several varieties of flowers, including petunias, carnations, roses, and daisies. The garden is divided into themed sections such as the Children's Garden, the Heart Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Numbers Garden, and the Dubai Garden where you can stroll amidst the spectacle of flowers.

 

 

The garden also hosts concerts, live performances, local craft exhibitions, and activities for children. You can also taste local dishes and drinks at the refreshment points and buy souvenir gifts. The Dubai Butterfly Garden, featuring 15,000 butterfly species, is also located nearby. The tour lasts approximately 1-2 hours and is a wonderful and unforgettable experience that combines the beauty of nature with human art and creativity.

 

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The Norwegian fjords are one of the most fascinating tourist attractions in the world and a preferred destination for nature and landscape wonders lovers.

The fjords, narrow sea arms that extend deep into the mainland formed through different glacial eras, are surrounded by imposing mountains and, near Bergen, there are several fjords starting from the sea that can be seen from the city's port which is a fjord called Byfjorden.

Starting from Bergen, you can explore some of the most famous fjords in Norway. The city is located between the Sognefjord to the north and the Hardangerfjord to the south, both can be visited in a day or two throughout the year. The best way to visit them is definitely by boat from Bergen, for an adventurous cruise through the fjords.

The Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway, is 205 km long and has a maximum depth of 1308 meters. This fjord offers a breathtaking view of high mountains, waterfalls, small fishing villages, and fruit orchards farms. To fully enjoy the scenery, you can choose a cruise along the fjord starting from Bergen with the ship to Flåm, which takes 5.5 hours along the Sognefjord stopping at the Stegastein viewpoint or at the panoramic Flåm railway, one of the steepest in the world.

Other fjords, which are part of the Sognefjord, are absolutely worth visiting and among them is the Nærøyfjord, one of the narrowest fjords in the world, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with panoramic views of imposing mountains, green valleys, and crystal-clear waters. The end of the fjord is home to the village of Gudvangen.

Instead, in the Aurlandsfjord there is the beautiful village of Flåm right at the end of the fjord. Many of the daily tours from Bergen to Sognefjord include the cruise from Gudvangen and Flåm, ideal to see both the Nærøyfjord and the Aurlandsfjord.

Not to be missed is also the Fjærlandsfjord, a starting point to admire the Jostedalsbreen glacier or visit the Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland. And before leaving the Sognefjord area, you can also make a stop at the Urnes wooden church, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The Norwegian fjords of Bergen are an essential stop that completes the city tour, making the vacation fascinating. If time is limited, you can choose a 3-hour mini cruise departing from the fish market in the center of Bergen, heading to the Mostraumen fjord.

Text by Enzo Cuppatri

 

Tel Aviv is the largest metropolitan area in Israel, loved for its mild climate throughout the year which makes it an ideal vacation destination, attracting tourists not only for its beautiful beaches but also for its rich history and culture, typical cuisine and lively nightlife. There are many things to see and do in Tel Aviv but five are truly essential even if you only have a few days.

Jaffa is the ancient port city of Tel Aviv with its port being one of the oldest in the world dating back thousands of years. Jaffa is located on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, in the southern part of Tel Aviv, and is interesting to explore, walking along the narrow cobbled streets starting from the Clock Tower square up to the famous Jaffa flea market passing through historic buildings, monuments, art galleries, shops, and markets. In the highest area of the old port, you can admire the Church of St. Peter, the Bridge of Wishes, the Museum of Old Jaffa, and the Ilana Goor Museum. To better enjoy the panorama of the city, you can climb up to Ha'Pisga Park and contemplate the view from the top of the hill.

The "White City" of Tel Aviv, so called for the white color of the Bauhaus-style houses, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003 as an example of 20th-century architecture and hosts one of the largest groups of International-style buildings, known as Bauhaus. Built between 1920 and 1930, it has been restored to enhance this invaluable architectural heritage that counts more than 4,000 buildings inspired by the essential design conceived by the German architect Walter Gropius. The Bauhaus buildings are located along Rothschild, Dizengoff, and Bialik streets. Architecture and design lovers can continue the tour by visiting the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Design Museum Holon designed by Rad Arad, or the Florentin neighborhood rich in colorful murals.

Tel Aviv's beautiful sandy beaches, lapped by the warm and transparent sea, have made it one of the world's top tourist destinations. The Tel Aviv coast has 13 beaches, each with a different panorama and experience to live, from the crowded and trendy ones to the quieter and more relaxing ones. Each beach has its own characteristics, and some are ideal for specific activities, such as Dolphinarium beach known for windsurfing and percussion shows, Gordon Beach for volleyball, Hilton beach frequented by surfers, the one next to the Marina is quiet and uncrowded while Aviv Beach is for kitesurfing and volleyball. The north side of the city hosts the Tzuk, Tzuk north, Metzizim, and Hilton beaches accessible to people with disabilities. The official bathing season to fully enjoy the beauty of the beaches and the warm sun runs from May to October.

 

In Tel Aviv, street food is a must. To taste typical products, just take a tour of the Carmel Market or Shuk HaCarmel, the famous and large open-air market for fruits and vegetables, well-known for Israeli street food where you can taste traditional dishes such as fried vegetable and spice-based falafel meatballs, pita bread with chickpea hummus, shakshuka with eggs, peppers, and tomato or borekas pastry rolls filled with cheese or meat and vegetables, but also sabich sandwiches made with eggplant and eggs or watermelon with feta cheese. Around the market, there are several bars where you can try the best Turkish coffee in the country and restaurants that cook dishes with fresh market products. Tel Aviv is also a vegan-friendly city for its rich vegan cuisine that offers fresh seasonal vegetables grown locally in numerous vegetarian restaurants where you can enjoy creative salads, legume bowls, fruit smoothies, kebab, and vegan burgers.

Tel Aviv is commonly referred to as the city that never sleeps. Recently restored, the Tel Aviv port area at night is really super trendy. If during the day the Tel Aviv port is a meeting point for strolling among hangar-style spaces, boutiques for shopping or having lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the sea, at sunset, the atmosphere transforms with its trendy bars and clubs, becoming an ideal location for those who love nightlife. The four most frequented clubs in the city center are Kuli Alma, The Block, Jimmy Who?, and Sputnik Bar. Beach parties are also very popular, which continue until late at night on the popular Gordon Beach, Alma Beach, Hilton Beach, and Metzitzim Beach.

 

To start the day, many places serve churros y chocolate for breakfast, a meal consisting of fried doughnuts served with a cup of dense and creamy hot chocolate.

 

 

 

 

Tapas, one of the most popular traditional dishes in Spain, are small portions of food of different varieties of dishes to be enjoyed together with a glass of cider, beer, or Cangas wine. One of the most common tapas in Oviedo are Pinchos, small snacks served on a slice of bread prepared with various ingredients, including ham, cheese, tuna, sausage, and potatoes. In addition, it is common to find patatas bravas, spicy fried potatoes served with a spicy sauce.

 

 

 

 

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