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Planning a Trip Portugal Things to Do travel guide

Portugal in April

April in Portugal is mild and offers lovely days for sightseeing and exploring the outdoors. Pack a waterproof coat because it might get a bit rainy. Explore the cities but also enjoy some day trips.

Weather

The weather is one of the reasons Portugal is very popular among travelers. It’s always sunny here and, as a result, traveling is a lovely experience year round. April falls in spring and it’s a mild month. It can be quite rainy in the north and central regions, though. If you are looking to explore the outdoors and visit the sites, April is a lovely choice.

Sample temperatures:
Faro avg 19C / avg low 11C
Lisbon avg high 18C / avg low 10C
Porto avg high 16C / avg low 8C

>>read more about Weather in Portugal

Flights and accommodation

Unless you plan to visit Portugal during Easter (which falls on April 8 in 2012), you shouldn’t worry about booking the airfare and accommodation too far in advance. Hostels can be excellent choices if you are on a low budget.

With so many lost cost carriers serving Portugal, it’s a matter of finding the best offer for the time you plan to fly. Remember that typically, 4 to 8 weeks before departure the airfare tends to be cheaper.

What to do

IndieLisboa takes place in April and it’s an independent Portuguese film festival becoming more famous each year. But, of course, you need to speak Portuguese to be able to enjoy it.

Lisboa International Triathlon takes place in late April and you can definitely sit by the side and cheer the competitor. Or be inspired to take up sports yourself.

Lisbon Golf Coast Festival stars in early April and many golf clubs join in the fun and games. Maybe you’ve just discovered another passion.

Also, Liberty Day (April 25) is one of the holidays to keep in mind when planning the vacation in Portugal.

You should plan to do some Port tasting while you are here. Some other things to do in Porto include visiting the museums, sightseeing and enjoying the local cuisine.

While in Lisbon, plan to visit Belem , a historically important district in the capital. Other things to do in Lisbon include the museums, the monuments, a ride on Tram 28 – the iconic tourist tram – and see the city from above. And let’s not forget about the food and drinks in Lisbon either.

Put on the list the beautiful town of Sintra with its Moorish castle , located a short drive from Lisbon. And while you are here, you might want to check out the Palacio da Pena as well. It was built on the site of an old monastery and can be visited.

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Argentina travel guide

Why You Should Add Buenos Aires to Your RTW Trip

Buenos Aires is a desirable destination for any traveler. It has tons to offer travelers, with its unique mix of South American and European cultures. The people, the food, the wine, and the sites are all appealing and keep tourists coming back for more. The city is a great place to visit for a vacation, but what about adding Buenos Aires to a round the world trip itinerary?

Our sister site, BootsnAll, is the premiere site to go to for RTW (round the world) travel. If you’ve thought about taking an extended trip, the round the world travel planning section is the place you want to start. It will give you all the tips and advice you’ll need for planning a trip of this magnitude.

Building a trip around a city like Buenos Aires is a great idea for round the world travelers. It is a big city with plenty of western amenities to help with the culture shock, but it’s still different enough from home to seem completely foreign. And one of the best things about Buenos Aires is the price it costs to travel there. It may not be as cheap as it once was, but backpackers can still get by on about $30-$40/day. Buenos Aires hostels can be found for a cheap price as well, and you can eat like a king for small sum, making this a perfect addition to your round the world trip.

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Peru travel guide

Why You Should Add Lima to Your RTW Itinerary

Lima gets the short end of the stick when it comes to traveling in Peru. It’s no wonder with an iconic site with Machu Picchu being located in the same country. Add in the Amazon, the Andes, world class surfing, and the desert in the south, and Lima quickly gets bumped down the itinerary list.

For those who only have a week or two in Peru, then getting in and out of Lima is usually what happens. But what if you have more time? What if you are planning a trip around the world? Would adding Lima to your RTW itinerary be a good idea?

First off, Lima has an airport that makes it easy to get around the rest of South America. It’s also a great jumping off point to the rest of the country and continent. But that’s not all Lima has to offer. If you are a foodie, Lima may surprise you with amazing local cuisines. The fact that you can get a top notch meal for about 10 bucks doesn’t hurt either. Seafood, and in particular ceviche, is super fresh and excellent. You can pop into any local, hole in the wall restaurant for lunch and get a 3 course meal, with ceviche usually being served as an appetizer, and pay less than $5US.

Lima is also made up of some cool neighborhoods, and once you explore the different parts of the city, you will realize that they are all different and offer unique experiences. Simply wandering around along the coast is a nice way to catch some great views, and if you are adventurous, you can take up surfing or go hang gliding over the Pacific.

Lima may not be the most desirable destination for international travelers, but if you look around, you will realize that this city is just a gem waiting to be discovered.

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Croatia travel guide

Getting from Croatia to Greece

Croatia and Greece might not be that close on the map but they both offer a lot of things to offer. And many travelers think it’s a good idea to visit both countries during the same trip. Finding connections between the two countries isn’t as easy as you might think.

Quick summary

If your only concern is the budget, you’ll be surprised to find out that flying (through London and on low cost airlines), taking a ferry (via Italy) and taking a train cost about the same. As for the time spent traveling, it’s all about finding the best connections….so you are basically left to choose whatever suites your travel style best.

Flights from Croatia to Greece

Croatia Airlines offers seasonal flights from Athens to both Dubrovnik and Zagreb. But what do you do outside the summer season? Fly through a major European hub, of course. And choose low cost airlines.

For example, EasyJet flies out of Zagreb, so you can book a flight to London Gatwick (€32 per person one way in June 2012) and then another flight to Athens (£50.99/€61 per person one way in June 2012). Surely beats the Lufthansa connection via Frankfurt at €178 per person one way, doesn’t it?

Another option is to fly from London to Thessaloniki (£40.99/€49 per person one way in June 2012). And it also beats the option to connect via Budapest on Malev (€197 per person one way in June 2012).

Or you can fly from Dubrovnik to London on the same airline (€36 per person one way in June 2012) but the route is available from mid-April only.

The conclusion is really simple: if you want to fly from Croatia to Greece, your best bet is to fly from Zagreb to London and then take another flight to Athens. Because both routes are served by low cost carriers you won’t pay that much but be prepared to spend a night in London, depending on the flights’ schedules.

Read more about:

>> Flights to Athens
>> Flights to Thessaloniki
>> Flights to Croatia

Ferries from Croatia to Greece

Unfortunately, although there were rumors about a direct ferry connection between Croatia and Greece, nothing has been done and you’ll have to connect through Italy.

So, the first step is to take a ferry from Dubrovnik to Bari. Jadrolinija operates most ferries on this route and you will pay €37.50 one way, during the low season for a seat on the deck. During the high season (Jun 24 – Aug 28), the same seat costs €45 one way. The travel time is about 7 h.

Read more about:
>> Getting from Dubrovnik to Bari
>> How to get from Croatia to Italy by ferry

Once in Bari, you can take another ferry to Igoumenitsa, Patras, Cephalonia/Kefalonia or Corfu. The crossings take between 8 h and 15h depending on where you want to arrive in Greece.

>>read more about How to get from Italy to Greece by ferry

You can also connect via Ancona. There are two connections from Croatia to Ancona: Zadar and Split. And from Ancona you can take another ferry to Patras or Igoumenitsa; but the crossing time is between 15 h and 21 h.

Price-wise, Bari – Patras costs €55.40 per person, one way ; while Ancona – Patras costs €69.00 per person, one way.

Trains from Croatia to Greece

An easy way to travel between Croatia and Greece by train is to connect via Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania).

There are direct trains from Zagreb Glavni Kolod to Budapest Keleti (because that’s where you’ll board the train to Bucharest Nord Gara A). Trains leave Zagreb at 4:08 p.m. daily. The travel time is about 7 h.

>>read more about Getting from Zagreb to Budapest

There are two connections daily from Budapest Keleti to Bucharest (Bucuresti) Nord Gara A: 7:10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The travel time is 14 ½ h.

From Bucharest board the train to Thessaloniki. There’s only one connection per day and the travel time is 18 h.

It is a very long route but on all night trains you can choose a cabin. Prices aren’t available online as you are crossing four countries, but you can also get Eurorail pass for this part of Europe. From personal experience on part of this route, it’s safe to say that prices average around €30- €50 per person one way, for each leg of the journey.

>>read more about Getting to Greece by Train

Buses from Croatia to Greece

Figuring out bus connection from Croatia to Greece is even harder than figuring out the train connections. Actually there aren’t any bus connection from Zagreb to Central/Eastern/Southern Europe, so if you try to replicate the itinerary above, you’ll still need to travel by train either to Bucharest or to one of the Romanian border cities (Arad, Timisoara, Oradea). From there you can catch a bus to Thessaloniki or all the way to Athens. Eurolines serve the route from Romania to Greece.

Driving from Croatia to Greece

First of all, ask whether you can take the rental car over the border and across several countries. Then, you can plan the route overland via E-75 and E75 , if you depart from Zagreb. It’s 1564 km to get to Athens and should take about 16 hours to drive. However, make sure to stop along the way.

This is the route from Zagreb to Athens without ferry crossings

View Larger Map

Photo credits: Athens Airport , Ferry , Budapest Keleti by Cristina Puscas and may not be used without permission

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Croatia travel guide

Croatia in May

May is one of the best months to visit Croatia. The sunny and warm weather allows visitors to explore the coastal towns and islands but the mass of tourists haven’t arrived yet so there’s some laid back feel still present. But the café life is in full swing and the day trips organized by travel agencies start to be available.

Weather

The sunny and warm days replace the early spring weather and it’s already possible to swim in the southern islands, by the end of the month.

Some temperatures:

Dubrovnik avg high 21C/70F; avg low 13C/57F
Hvar avg high 21C/71F ; avg low 14C/58F
Split avg high 21C/70F ; avg low 13C/57F
Zagreb avg 16C/60C

Facilities

Ferries to Croatia are available on all routes now and there are more connections than during early spring. For the domestic routes it’s not possible to book in advance, but if you travel internationally it might be a good idea to via a travel agency. If you want to travel between the Croatian islands the ferries are still spottier than you expect , so check if there’s a ferry available on the route you want to travel.

While for the domestic flights the airfare doesn’t change from season to season, when you fly from abroad, flights to Croatia start to increase in May but the prices also get more expensive. Still, it’s cheaper than flying in July or August. But do make sure to book your ticket in advance.

Accommodation is not hard to find but the prices start to rise because everyone is gearing up for the high travel season. Book your hostel bed ahead of time or consider camping.

Things to do

May 1 is Labor Day but worry not because those who work in the tourism sector are providing all the services. So, no disruptions in transport, either.

May is definitely the month of flowers in pretty much any European city. Croatia makes no exception and Split is home to the International Flower Fair , which takes place in the basement halls of Diocletian’s Palace. Or you can head to Zagreb by the end of the month for the Zagreb Flower Show which features 120 florists.

>>read more about Things to do in Zagreb

St Duje (St Domnius) is the patron saint of Split and he is celebrated on May 7. So, expect to find competitions, processions and games in the city.

If you missed Cannes Festival, head to Dubrovnik International Film Festival, which begins right after the other has ended. Sure, it’s not as star-populated but it’s easier to get into.

The mild weather makes Dubrovnik a delight to visit. Take a walk on the beach, sip some coffee in a stylish café and do some people watching. You can also visit the Sponza Palace and the Cathedral

>>read more about Things to do in Dubrovnik

Thanks to the nice weather, it’s a delight to plan some time in the nature in May. You can plan to visit the Plitvice Lakes National Park or Krka Waterfalls .

>>read more about the National Parks

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