Travel Guide - Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. It is divided by Danube river. West bank is BUDA and east bank is PEST.

Transportation:

The transporation network is well-delevoped in this city, like tram, coach, metro,rail.

Deak Ferenc ter is located at the city centre, where is an interchange point for metro lines. There are totally 3metro lines - M1, M2 and M3.

Nyugati is one of main railway stations in Budapest. Nepliget coach terminal is located at Nepliget, where is also a metro station.

One day travel card pass costs at HUF1550/person. This pass is valid on all transporation, like metro, trams and buses for unlimited trips within 24hours . Bus no. 16, Tram no. 47 or 49, all can connect Buda side and Pest side. Tram no. 2 is a good choice for sightseeing in Budapest.

Attractions in PEST side

Deak f. Ter - City centre
Transporation: Metro: Deak f. Ter

[i](Tourist information centre) is just nearby Deak f. Ter metro station. Le Meridien Budapest is located next to metro station. Just opposite to hotel, there is a bus stop, where you can take Bus no. 16 to go up to BUDA Castle Hill.

St. Stephen's Basilica is one of tallest building in Budapest and it is just around 10mins walk from Deak f. Ter metro station. Visitors may access the dome by elevators or by climbing 364 stairs for a 360° view overlooking Budapest.

Central market is the largest indoor market in Budapest. Most stalls on the ground floor offer variety of vegetables, fruit, cheese and meat, as well as souvenirs, like paprika. On the upper floor, besides food court, there are souvenirs shops selling postcards, dolls, glasses, tablecloths, chess boards and clothes made in Hungarian style.
The opening hours of Central market is: Sunday - closed, Monday - 0600 - 1700, Tuesday - Friday - 0600 - 1800, Saturday - 0600 - 1400
Transporation: Tram no. 47, 49

Vaci Utea is a famous shopping street filled with luxury fashion shops and souvenirs shops. It is just opposite to the Central market.

Vajdahunyad Castle is located nearby Szechenyifurda metro station (Metro M1 line).
The biggest museum of agriculture in Europe can be found in the Castle of Vajdahunyad on the Széchenyi-island in Városliget, Budapest in outstanding building. This castle was declared a national monument in 1991.

Heroes' Square is outside of the castle. Andrassy utea is just in front of the square. This street is known as "Avenue Des Champs Elysees" in Budapest, along tall strees and across 6metro stops long. Opera House, museums and luxury Shops are found there, like famous Hungarian State Opera House.

Attractions in BUDA side

Major sights in Castle Hill are Royal Palace, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion.
Royal Palace is situated at the top of the Buda Hill, now it houses the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest History Museum and the National Széchenyi Library. Don't miss the panorama view of Budapest from Fisherman's Bastion, which is in architecture of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style around Matthias Church.
Transportion:
By Bus no. 16 at Deak f. Ter (opp. to Le Meridien Budapest), or
Take the Buda Castle Hill funicular (Sikló) from Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain bridge (at rate of HUF800/adult for upward).

Come down from the Castle Hill and wander along the Danube river

Church of St. Anne is located at Batthyany ter (Metro line M2). In front of the church, there is Batthyany square, also known as Market Hall.

Chain Bridge across Danube River

1. Walk across Szabadsag hid from Central Market (PEST side) --> wander along Danube river and enjoy hte view of Gellert Hill, Castle Hill (BUDA side) --> walk across famous Chain Bridge back to PEST side --> pass-by Intercontinental hotel --> You will find Kiskiralylany (Le Petit Prince ) sitting on the fence with fantastic background of Royal Palace and Danube river.

2. Take Tram No. 2. - You can enjoy fantastic view of the Gellert Hill, Castle Hill, the Budapest Parliament, also the Danube river and the graceful bridges over it.

Useful links:

The official website of Budpest Tourism Office - http://www.budapestinfo.hu/en

The website of St. Stephen's Basilica in Hungarian - http://bazilika.biz/

Accommodation in Prague

There is no metro connected to the city centre from Prague international airport. You can take bus 119 to Dejvicka station, and interchange metro. The fee is aprox. CZK26 for 75minutes. Or you can consider to take airport mini-bus (CZK130/adult per way) to city near Namesti Republiky, if you carry a luggage.


Guesthouse's name: PLATAN PENSION

address. Revolucni 24, Praha 1 CZECH republic

tel: +420-777 320 777

fax: +420-271 740 048

email: help@platan.cz

website: http://www.platantour.cz/

Platan Pension is situated nearby Namesti Republiky. It takes around 5-10 minutes from airport mini-bus stop or Namesti Republiky metro station. This pension is in a 5-storey building and is located on the 5th floor. You can access by elevator or stairs.

Room type. Single STUDIO-room with private bathroom

This room has safe deposit box,satelite TV,electric kettle,ventilator (el. fan), full-mirror,microwave, radio with alarm, hairdryer and private bathroom.

Laundrette is also available. Iron, eating utensils, drink machine and fridge are in the main corridor. The staff is helpful and nice.

Free internet access is available at the reception and free WIFI internet access in the rooms.

Sometimes this pension offers Last Min. Price from Euro30/night for this single room

This rate includes breakfast and taxes, but this rate should be paid in 'cash' only.

Personaly, the room was clean and comfortable, and the location was safe and good. Tram stop is just in front of the entrance of the builiding. It is easy to access to metro station and coach station. Last but not least, the big breakfast could brighten every morning during my stay. It is really good for value.

Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Other popular attractions)

Other popular attractions in Beijing

Summer Palace 颐和园 (Yíhé Yuán)
UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List in 1998. It declared the Summer Palace as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park.[1]

Entrance Fee: RMB 40 (low season) / RMB 50 (peak season)
Please note the entrance fee is not included the admission to some specific scenic spots inside the Summer Palace.
Transportation: By bus (refer to the Beijing bus website)

Beihai Park 北海公园 (Běihǎi Gōngyuán)
Beihai Park located in central Beijing, is one of the oldest and well-preserved imperial gardens in China. There are pavilions and towers surrounded by the beautiful scenery of landscapes and lakes.

Admission fee:
April to October – RMB10/adult
November to March – RMB5/adult
Transportation: By Bus or just walk from the entrance of the Forbidden City to the North Gate. It takes around 30mins on foot.

Olympic Green 北京奧林匹克公園
The Beijing National Stadium 国家体育场 (or Bird's Nest 鸟巢) hosted the main track and field and football match, and final competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Just opposite to Bird’s Nest, there is the Beijing National Aquatics Center 国家游泳中心 (or Water Cube 水立方. This center was used for swimming, diving and water-polo games during the Olympic Games 2008. After the games, the center has turned into a large water recreational center open to the public. Its appearance seems the structure of "H2O" - the semi-transparent "bubbles" spread out all over its surface with a shape.

Entrance Fee: Water Cube RMB 40; Water Cube RMB 60Transportation: By Subway
Subway Line 8 (Olympic Special Line): get off at Olympic Sports Center Station,get out of the station from Exit B1 (northwest exit) or Exit B2 (northeast exit), and walk north.

Sanlitun 三里屯 (Sānlǐtún)
Sanlitun is an area of the Chaoyang District in Beijing. It currently houses many bars and clubs popular with both expatriates and locals as well as international band-name stores. The Ya Show (雅秀) market is also in the area, a popular indoor market for tourists wishing to buy counterfeit garment. There is a food mall on the top floor also.

Useful links:
Official website of Beijing subway - http://www.bjsubway.com/
The website of Travel China Guide -
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/
The website of Summer Palace - http://www.summerpalace-china.com/en/index.html
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php
The website of Beihai Park - http://www.beihaipark.com.cn/en/about/index.htm
The website of Beijing National Aquatics Center - http://www.water-cube.com/en/
The website of National Stadium - http://www.n-s.cn/en/

[1] Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace

Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Major attractions in countryside)

Major attractions in countryside of Beijing

The Great Wall of China 万里长城 (Wànlǐ Chángchéng)

The Great Wall of China is one of the Eight Wonders of the world and was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. It starts at the Jiayuguan Pass of Gansu Province in the west and ends at the Shanhaiguan Pass of Hebei Province in the east.
Badaling section is one of the most gorgeous and magnificent part of the Great Wall in Beijing. Just close to Badaling, there are is a big Great Wall Museum and the Great Wall National Theater. The theater offers you a chance to get a full view of the Great Wall.
Many tourists choose to take the cable car up to the mountain, and then walk down the Great Wall to save their time and energy.

Transportation: By Bus No. 919 to Badaling Great Wall
To get to Badaling Great Wall, visitors can take Bus No.919 at Deshengmen Gate德胜门
The no.919 bus station is located north of the gateway of Deshengmen Gate.The no.919 bus is in green color. It costs CNY 12 per person by cash and CNY 4.8 by using the public transportation IC card. It runs non-stop between 06:30 and 18:30 from Deshengmen to Badaling Great Wall, and returns from Badaling Great Wall to Deshengmen from 12:00 to 17:00. Please do not take private buses or coaches.

How to go to Deshengmen Gate德胜门?
Take subway line 2 to Jishutan积水潭 and look for exit NE (Northern-east).

Badaling Great Wall
Admission fee: CNY 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); CNY 40 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Cable car: CNY 40 (single way); CNY 60 (round trip)
Opening hours: 06:30-19:00 (In summer); 07:00-18:00 (In winter)


The Ming Dynasty Tombs 明朝十三陵 (Míng cháo shí sān líng)
13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this Ming Tombs, which were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2003. As Ming Dynasty Tombs are located at countryside and are relatively near Great Wall, you can visit both in a day.

Admission Fee:
Changling Tomb: CNY 30 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31); CNY 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)Dingling Tomb: CNY40 (Nov.1 to Mar. 31); CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
Opening Hours:
Changling Tomb: 08:30 to 17:30; Dingling Tomb: 08:30 to 18:00

Useful links:
Official website of Beijing subway - http://www.bjsubway.com/
The website of Travel China Guide -
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/
The website of Ming Tombs - http://www.mingtombs.com/
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php

Travel Guide - Beijing, China (Major attractions)

Beijing (北京) is the capital of China located at the northern part of China. This city is the centre of political and culture and art, where you can experience the real life of Chinese in China.

Best season to visit Beijing:
Summer is from June to August, but it is considered as peak season
Autumn is from September to November, when is the best weather and fewer tourists.
Spring is too windy and dusty and winter is too cold for outdoor visit.

Avoid peak holidays to visit Beijing:
Most Chinese travel around during Chinese holidays. When are Chinese holidays in China? The 3 main peak holidays are Chinese New Year (around end of January to mid of February), Labor Day 1st May (end of April to early of May), and National Day 1st October (early of October).

Major Attractions in Beijing

Tiananmen Square 天安門 (Tian an men)
Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the world. This square was the place where Chairman Mao proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. On the north of Tiananmen Square is Tiananmen (Gate of Heaven Peace); on its east is National Museum of China where exhibits China history; Monument to the People's Heroes and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum is on its south; on its west is the Great Hall of the People, where is the meeting place of national people's congress of the People's Republic of China.
Many tourists like to watch the raising and lowering ceremony of the Chinese National Flag at sunrise and sunset. But please go there at least 30 minutes early to have a good location to watch.

Transportation - By Subway: Take Line 1 to Tian'an men East or Tian'an men West

The Forbidden City 紫禁城 (zi jin cheng)
The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Now it becomes Palace Museum, which opens daily.

Transportation - By Subway: Take Line 1 to Tian'an men East or Tian'an men West
Admission fee:
April 1st – October 31st: RMB60 November 1st – March 31st: RMB40

Tian Tan Park (Temple of Heaven Park) 天坛 (tian tan)
The Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. In 1998, it was recognized by the UNESCO as “one of the human heritages of the world”. It is a very popular park for exercising Tai Chi.

Entrance fee: RMB10/adult
Transportation: By subway line 5 and get off at Tiantan Dongmen天坛东门

Useful links:
Official website of The Forbidden City - http://www.dpm.org.cn/
Official website of Beijing subway - http://www.bjsubway.com/
The website of Tian Tan Park - http://en.tiantanpark.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/index.html
The website of Beijing bus - http://www.bjbus.com/home/index.php

Attraction in Prague, Czech Republics

Lesser Town (Mala Strana)

Take tram no. 12, (14 or 20) to Lesser Town.

Petrin Hill - take Petrin funicular up to the hill and visit Petrin Lookout Tower to enjoy stunning view of Prague

Walk past most Legii (bridge) to National Theatre

Prague Castle

Take Tram no. 8 from Namesti Republiky and interchange Tram no. 22 at Kralovsky letohradek or Prazsky hrad station, then get off at Pohorelec station.

Strahov Monastery - church, convent and libray

Loreta - museum and an amazing chapel (admission fee is required)

Prague Castle - Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, Mihulka Powder Tower, Golden Lane, Summer Palace

Ceremony of Changing guards take place at noon, including a fanfare and the flag ceremony in the First Courtyard.

Walk down the hill from Prague Castle to St. Nicholas Church

Go straight to Charles Bridge or turn left to a secret garden - Czech Senate

Kampa Island - art museums are located at

Then go to Charles Bridge to view the sunset of Prague. Charles Bridge is a famous historial gothic bridge with statues across Vltava River in Prague.

Old Town

Municipal House and Powder Tower in Namesti Republiky

Old Town Hall and The Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

Old-new Synagogue - the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe

Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske namesti) - centre of business and culture in New Town

Take metro or tram no. 14 to Mustek station, where you also can find a huge post office building.

Walk along Vaclavske namesti to National Museum or go to Gothic-style's New Town Hall

Useful links:

Official website of Prague Castle - http://www.hrad.cz/en/prague-castle/prague-castle-tourist-information/visit-of-prague-castle.shtml

Prague tourist information - http://www.prague-tourist.com/

Suggested 4Days/3Nights F.I.T. Singapore

I had been living in Singapore over 2years. During my stay, my lovely friends and family members always visited me. So I had many experience to show them around. Here is the suggested itinerary for your reference.

Origin: Hong Kong
Departure time/date. around 8pm on Friday
Return time/date. around 6pm on Monday
Airlines. CX, SQ, UA, 3K (direct flights)

Singapore is really a good place for a weekend getaway, especially from Hong Kong. The flying time is around 3.5hours. Besides Cathay Pacific and Singapore airlines, United airlines and budget airline, Jetstar also operates night flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. So travellers could take last flight departure at the night of Friday after work. Although you reach Singapore at midnight of Saturday, it is easy for you to find a cab at arrival hall.

Friday
Night - departure from Hong Kong

Saturday
Midnight - Check-in and go to Newton Circus (a local hawker centre) for late supper.
Morning - have a local breakfast set (Kaya Toast, Teh(tea with milk), a slightly boiled egg) at local cafe
Before noon - take MRT to Harbourfront station and take cable car or Sentosa Express train to Sentosa Island

Late afternoon
Option One -
take Sentosa Express train back to Vivocity (a huge shopping mall) and have a snack at Food Republic (Coconut milk rice, Seafood laksa, Hainan chicken rice, fried prawn noodles,...) or go shopping (at Topshop, Tangs, Gap, Zara, Mango, ...)
Option Two -
take MRT to City Hall station. Go shopping in Raffle Place before you walk through Citylink to Esplanade. Go up to the roof of Esplanade, where you can enjoy the panorama view of Singapore river, Merlion Park, Fullerton Hotel (a Victorian-style building), Singapore Flyer, SANDS casino (under construction),... Then walk to Merlion Park. On the journey, you can try local ice-cream sandwich(like Durian ice-cream with waffle or bread). Or have a nice iced coffee in nearby cafe.

Evening
Option One
Take cab to Dempsey Road to have delicious seafood dinner.
Option Two
Walk around 10-15mins to "Lau Pa Sat" from Merlion Park. Enjoy local eating culture and atmosphere in a local hawker centre.

Late night
Take MRT to Clarke Quay station or take cab to Clarke Quay, where you can find nice pubs and restaurant. If you want to go dancing, M.O.M would be a good choice for you. If you like try something special, you should go to an unique pub, "CLINIC".

Sunday
Morning
Have a local breakfast - "Bah Kut Teh" (pork rib soup) with "you tiao"(like churros) in Rangoon Road or in Clarke Quay

Before noon
Option One
Walk to Little India from Rangoon Road or take MRT to Farrer Park station from Clarke Quay.
Option Two
Take MRT to Chinatown station, where is the good place for you to buy souvenirs.
Option Three
Take MRT to Bugis station. Bugis is a shopping district, where you can find cheaper stores. Or walk to nearby Arab street. Along Arab street, there are lots of stores and restaurants from Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Evening
Option One
Have an early dinner and then take bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio MRT station or take cab to Night Safari. Night Safari opens at 7.30pm daily. You cannot miss these 30mins' creatures of the show and 45mins' tram ride to explore the mystery of night safari.
Option Two
If you are not interested in animals, "Geylang" maybe another options for you, where is an old red-light district in Singapore. Also, it is famous for local food (like famous edible frog porridge, durians), too.

Monday
Morning
Have another famous local food, Hainan Chicken rice, for your early lunch in Novena.
Before noon
Take MRT to Orchard station. Orchard Road is the most popular shopping district in Singapore. Most luxury brands and popular brands you can find them here easily. Also, you can find a nice local food at Food republics of Wisma Atrica, or western food at Coffee Club in Ngee Ann City next to Takashimaya (a Japanese department store, like Sogo in HK).

Afternoon
It's time to get ready to airport and fly back to Hong Kong.

Useful links:
Official website of Singapore Tourism - http://www.visitsingapore.com

Official website of Night Safari - http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

Official website of Botanic Garden - http://www.sbg.org.sg/