HomeTagsPosts tagged with "tourism"

tourism

January is really a month for the winter blues. Christmas is a hazy memory, you can't quite shake that cold that's been bothering you, and summer seems like an eternity away.

Why not escape for a weekend to see some of Europe's most incredible sights, and stay in the best Airbnb's you can find. Treat yo'self, gowan.

Luckily for you, we've curated a list of some of the continent's best apartment finds.

We've already booked our flights straight out of Dublin airport, ASAP….

leaving steve martin GIF

1. Zagreb, Croatia

This new stylish apartment is in the perfect location in the centre of the beautiful Zagreb, on Križanićeva street.

For a quiet and safe space which is still central, this is one of the best areas to stay in. Close to the main city square, central bus and train station, everything is easily within walking distance.

A modern, contemporary apartment with a monochromatic décor theme, yet still so comfortable, this apartment is perfect. It can host three guests, and has two beds and a bath. 

New stylish central apartment
Price: €37 per night

2. Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is an incredible city to visit, the Old Town is stunning and has a huge amount of history, and most of the town is within walking distance.

It also is home to some of the best pub crawls in the world, just sayin'. This gorgeous boutique apartment has us DROOLING.

The spacious design, the window panels allowing light to stream in, we just need to stay here ASAP.

The boutique apartment is located in the Bohemian Zizkov district, packed with unreal cafés, bars, restaurants and bars with some amazing views of Prague.

3. Paris, France

We have found a sunny, cosy studio apartment LITERALLY just down the road from the Eiffel Tower. What more would you need?

The charming apartment is ideal for an escape to the Parisian life; it's both residential and family-oriented.

There are windows throughout the apartment to let in the French sun, and the location is absolutely perfect; the seventh district of Les Invalides

Just picture yourself having a coffee and croissant downstairs, looking out the window at the Parisian aesthetic. We can.

4. Berlin, Germany

A 'superhost' owns this GORGEOUS Berlin apartment, which can house four guests and his also an absolute bargain of an offer for what you're getting.

The apartment is a short walking distance away from some of Berlin's top spots, with restaurants, shops and bars surrounding the area.

The subway station is only a seven minute walk away, and the location is both safe and central. You'll be prancing around Alexanderplatz in no time…

Design apartment
Price: €34 per night

5. Barcelona, Spain

This spacious loft is on Airbnb Plus, and for a good reason.

The stunning studio apartment has an actual JETTED TUB. Be still my beating travel heart. The location is extremely central; with the city's main sights within walking distance.

The New York-style space has exposed brick walls, high ceilings of rustic Catalan wood and bold modern art.

Catch some rays on the balcony and make use of the space's incredible amenities.

Spacious loft
€70 per night

6. Rome, Italy

This 'superhost' certified apartment in the centre of one of Europe's most renowned cities is GOALS.

The apartment can house up to four guests, and is located on the first floor of a beautiful palatial residence just minutes from the Piazza Della Repubblica.

The studio home is freshly renovated, filled with light and more luxurious than our future. We LOVE.

7. Edinburgh, United Kingdom

This stunning Georgian apartment in Edinburgh's New Town is one of the best Airbnb's on the market.

The loft is a ground floor flat in the famous area, with absolutely every part of the city within walking distance. The apartment is spacious, has fantastic amenities such as a bath, and even an indoor fireplace for those cold January months.

The beautiful home as Wi-Fi, free parking down the road and houses two guests easily, with comfort being the essential promise. 

New Town apartment 
€54 per night

8. Vienna, Austria

This sunny apartment is extremely sought after, for it's dedication to space and light.

It can house four guests, and they can each experience the unique, warm decor of the apartment while being close to the most famous parts of Vienna.

The metro station at Ober-St. Veit is only a seven minute walk away, with the home featuring a spacious living room with a kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom.

The terrace can be used in summer to soak in that European sun that we Irish can never seem to get.

Sunny apartment in Vienna
Price: €69 per night

9. Krakow, Poland

Poland is a great country to escape to, especially because of how affordable it is.

This chic loft apartment in central Krakow is only €18 PER NIGHT, we cannot believe how great it is.

Beautiful, modern studio for one or two people has air conditioning for the hot summer months, and is located on Bonerowska Street in Krakow city centre. 

The space is less than five minutes walking distance away from Krakow's main historical sights including main square, Wawel Castle, the Jewish Quarter and more.

Loft apartment
Price: €18 per night

10. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The hosts don't call it the 'stairway to heaven' for no reason. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most interesting cities, with a huge amount to do and some immensely picturesque locations to visit.

Little loft apartments near the canals and boats are such a dream come true, and this luxury apartment with warm, modern décor is perfect for a weekend away with someone special.

The private trendy studio is built in the attic of an authentic 1880 Amsterdam house, and is located in the cool neighbourhood near the food hall and outdoor markets. I wouldn't book this if stairs aren't suitable for you, however, it's a steep climb up.

Stairway to Heaven
Price: €80

You all deserve a holiday, and January is the perfect time to escape the winter blues and catch the travel bug.

Trending

by

Begging has been named as one of Dublin's biggest issues by visitors to Ireland's capital.

Dublin chief of Fáilte Ireland Keelin Fagan told Independent.ie the  issue is 'one to watch.'

Only 24% of tourists in Dublin said they would consider making a second visit to the city. 

However Dublin is still considered safe by tourists. 

'Security isn't coming up per se, but then the begging is coming up.'

'Generally we're still considered a safe destination, which is brilliant – but it's another one we need to watch.'

We Are Dublin Town CEO Richard Guiney told Newstalk that the issue isn't only flagged by tourists, but by local businesses also.

“In comments that we get back on consumer surveys, begging comes up all the time as something that people feel slightly intimidated about – particularly in the evening time,” 

Trending

by

TripAdvisor has just revealed their 2018 "Very Best of Travel", chosen by millions of travellers. 

While Paris, London and Rome were appointed top destinations for 2018, the experience section includes activities taking place in USA, Canada, Italy and… Ireland.

At the tenth position, after a cooking class in Florence, a bike-tour in Berlin or a VIP experience in the Vatican, the travellers have chosen the Wild Wicklow Tour, including Glendalough from Dublin.

For €33, you can get an overview of the wild landscape of Wicklow County on a full-day guided tour. After boarding a coach bus in Dublin, the tour includes a stop at the Wicklow National Park, the monastic settlement at Glendalough, and Sally’s Gap, offering insightful commentary about each stop. 

To see the full top ten, click here or scroll below:

1. Cooking Class and Lunch at a Tuscan Farmhouse with Local Market Tour in Florence, Italy

2. Berlin Bike Tour, Germany

3. New York in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour, USA

4. Sydney BridgeClimb, Australia

5. Vatican VIP Experience: Exclusive Breakfast at the Vatican with Early Access to Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, Italy

6. New Orleans Cooking Class, USA

7. Rotorua Maori Hangi Dinner and Performance, New Zealand

8. Best of Niagara Falls Tour from Niagara Falls, Canada

9. Vancouver to Victoria and Butchart Gardens Tour by Bus, Canada

10. Wild Wicklow Tour including Glendalough from Dublin, Ireland

 

Trending

by
 

It seems people can't resist Ireland's charms. I mean, where else are you going to enjoy pints at midday without judgment?

We're ranked at number two on TripAdvisor's list of countries with the most excellent service in the world this year.

Iceland came out on top, with the UK just behind us in third place, the Irish Independent reports.

These awards were based on the percentage of properties that received a Certificate of Excellence for 2018 in each country or city.

The following are the top ten most excellent countries to travel to in the world, according to TripAdvisor:

  1. Iceland
  2. Ireland
  3. United Kingdom
  4. Greece
  5. Morocco
  6. France
  7. The Netherlands
  8. Italy
  9. Portugal
  10. Belgium

Clearly, Europe has the travel game in the bag, but it's also exciting to see Morocco ranking so high.

The Certificate of Excellence is given to experiences, restaurants, and accommodation through an algorithm 'that takes into account the quality, quantity, and recency of user reviews'.

Dublin also makes the grade when it comes to the most excellent cities list, coming in sixth place:

  1. Key West, USA
  2. Reykjavik, Iceland
  3. Edinburgh, UK
  4. Marrakech, Morocco
  5. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  6. Dublin, Ireland
  7. Bali, Indonesia
  8. Krakow, Poland
  9. Glasgow, UK
  10. New Orleans, USA

This is the first time TripAdvisor has decided to rank destinations based on Certificates of Excellence.

Now, if you're looking for a somewhere to holiday with amazing accommodation, Chicago tops the list of cities in this department. Add their famous deep dish pizza to this, and we're practically ready to book our tickets now.

As for thrilling experiences and attractions, Costa Rica is the place to be, as it has the highest percentage of Certificates of Excellence in this category.

Our capital city has become a haven for foodies, and that's reflected on the list of most excellent restaurants for 2018:

  1. Key West, USA
  2. Reykjavik, Iceland
  3. Bali, Indonesia
  4. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  5. Venice, Italy
  6. Florence, Italy
  7. Edinburgh, UK
  8. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  9. Dublin, Ireland
  10. Krakow, Poland

Hmm, anyone else fancy a holiday all of a sudden?

Trending

We love nothing more that a cheeky success story… especially when those behind it happen to be Irish.

COYBIG, and all that jazz.

Anyway, with that sentiment, we'd like to introduce you to ourApp of the week, created by two lads from Dublin.

Ekho is a snazzy new app that uses BLE Beacon technology to empower curators of galleries and museums to create a fully immersive multimedia experience that engages visitors through navigation, narration and access to your additional content.

So basically, you can get amazing tours of iconic locations through your phone. Handy or what?

At Ekho, the goal is to help "transform cultural and museum interactions through mobile technology."

Image may contain: indoor

Founders, Raef Tyrell and Mark McGeogh are committed to empowering a new generation of art and culture lovers (hey, that's us!) and attraction visitors, allowing them to delve deeper into the wonderful stories behind the attractions that they love!

Over the past few years, cultural institutions and tourist attractions have sought innovative ways to improve visitor engagement, and the lads decided to act on that industry need.

While many try to draw visitors in with compelling exhibitions, they also seek to add other elements that will facilitate visitor engagement and learning through a unique experience.

And so Ekho was born! 

But how does it work? Well, it couldn't be more simple, trust us, we're far from tech savvy.

Visitors just have to download Ekho onto their own device either from the AppStore or Android's Playstore.

And then you can seamlessly engage with the exhibits via Ekho's Bluetooth technology.

And the best part? Ekho is officially launching today – so get your ass to the app store! 

You'll be glad you did. 

Trending

The Swedish tourism board have just pulled the marketing stunt to top all marketing stunts.

The entire country has just been listed on Airbnb as part of Visit Sweden’s latest tourism campaign.

The idea is based around the Swedish legal principle of ‘freedom to roam’, which states that anybody in the country has the right to enjoy and explore the natural landscape in all its glory.

From cosy beech forests to rugged cliffs shaped by the ice sheet, Sweden's natural landmarks are more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. 

Just take a look. 

Rocky Island in the Stockholm Archipelago

Beach with Large Limestone Columns (Raukar)

Rugged Cliffs Shaped by the Ice Sheet

River Bank by Visjöån

Cozy Glade in Beech Forest

Speaking about the campaign, Jenny Kaiser, the USA Country Manager at Visit Sweden said, ''This is made possible thanks to a Swedish right guaranteed by the constitution – freedom to roam. This right enables the Swedish people to experience nature and enjoy the beautiful Swedish wildlife.''

''In Sweden we have everything from high mountains to deep forests, from beautiful archipelagos to quiet meadows. Now, together with Airbnb, we welcome everyone to come to Sweden and, through freedom to roam, share our wonderful nature.''

When visiting the page, users are given the option to click a 'Visit Sweden' button which then redirects them to a website packed with videos, interviews and travel tips. 

Well played Sweden, we're now all dying to visit. 

 

Trending

Irish Little Mix fans, we hope you've been keeping your eyes peeled over the last 24 hours, as the glam foursome have officially touched down in Dublin for the first of two shows at the 3Arena.

While Jesy and Jade seem to have been staying under the radar. Perrie and Leigh-Anne took some time out yesterday and today to enjoy Ireland's capital, starting off with a nice cuppa.

When in Rome and all that…

 

A photo posted by Perrie Edwards (@perrieeele) on

Of course, if you follow Perrie on Snapchat, you may have spotted her checking out some other Irish delicacies.

Like a brown bread ice-cream cone:

Or, for dinner, a big dirty plate of Chinese – maybe she was hungover?

 

A video posted by Perriesnap (@perriesnaps) on

The singer also hit Temple Bar, which for once looked pretty quiet:

And she even stopped to enjoy a few tunes from some buskers – in the form of Irish band Keywest. 

 

A video posted by Perriesnap (@perriesnaps) on

Before hitting the hay, the singer tucked in to some cookies and milk courtesy of her hotel.

Not the worst way to end a day of sight-seeing.

 

A video posted by Perriesnap (@perriesnaps) on

There have been no updates from the girls today as yet, but with their gig kicking off in mere hours, fans won't have long to wait to see them in the flesh.

Trending

It was Walt Disney who invented modern-day theme parks when he opened his first Disneyland attraction in California in 1955.

Sixty years later, Disney theme parks remain wholly magically places – and they’re big business too.

In fact, in 2013 alone its 11 parks around the world provided nearly a third of the company’s astonishing €45bn revenue.

All but one of the ten most-visited parks worldwide are run by Disney; the exception being Universal Studios in Japan.

And in total, Disney locations attract 132.5million guests every year – so it’s no wonder that they have to run like clockwork.

HERE, SHEmazing! unveils some of the corporation’s hidden secrets and tricks of the trade…

 

Disney doesn’t do smelly bins:

Bins aren’t emptied in Disney theme parks, instead small pipes vacuum rubbish underground at speeds of 100km/h. The process happens every 20 minutes.

 

Actually… it simply doesn’t do bad smells:

‘Smellitizers’ are hidden around the parks to maintain a pleasant aroma in the air at all times. So Main Street smells of baked goods – more specifically outside the Candy Palace it smells of mouthwatering vanilla and waffle cones. And the Pirates Of The Caribbean attraction is tinged with fresh salty sea air.

 

Tuck in:

Food is notoriously pricey in the parks, but some of it is actually free. Yes, if you’re hungry but don’t want to splash out on a burger, pop into Tomorrowland – where all the plants are edible.

 

Sleep tight:

There is a secret suite inside Cinderella’s castle which cannot be booked – no matter who you are. Instead, it is exclusively for promotional giveaways.

 

What lies beneath:

There are many kilometres of tunnels underneath the parks. They are used for employees and cast members to walk through to reach their destinations without characters being spotted in the wrong land. The tunnels also contain the costume departments and a resident hairdresser.

 

It’s delicious – and a secret:

In the Be Our Guest restaurant, ask for The Grey Stuff – famously referred to in Beauty And The Beast. From Disney’s secret menu, it’s a delicious chocolate mousse-like dessert.

 

Not lion around:

In the Animal Kingdom, there is piped chilled air on the ledge of Pride Rock – this encourages the lions to sit up straight, which in turns makes for much better pictures for the park’s visitors.

 

Anything is possible:

Construction for the original Disneyland in California began in July 1954; it opened within a year. At the time, it cost €15.5m to complete.

 

Trending

by

Fáilte Ireland’s new chairman Michael Cawley has announced that Dublin will be getting a €20 million facelift.

The capital will be cleaned up good and proper, and there’ll also be a logo designed for the city, as they want to create a ‘unified brand’ much like New York’s ‘I heart NY’.

Even though we’ve been hearing that tourism is doing well in our fair city, Cawley says we are “losing out market share wise to comparative cities like Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Barcelona.

“We need to clean up its image. Temple Bar, long an asset, has become less than an asset, shall we say. I don't want to be overly negative about it, but we need to do better.”

Ooo, sounds like Michael’s getting a bit catty, doesn’t it? Still, he’s got a point! We’d love to see a clean, prettier Dublin (though we love it anyway!).

Trending