Category: Europe

With low cost flights on offer to Sweden’s second city, a city break to Gothenburg was very tempting and so on a recent Friday evening we boarded a flight from Manchester airport over to western Sweden. I’m a big fan of the Nordic region and after enjoying visits to Stockholm and Uppsala, I felt certain…

Hotel Review Location: Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is linked via a covered walkway to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and with the city centre being only 20 minutes away by train, the hotel is ideally located for a city break or overnight layover. Arrival and check in: After arriving into Schiphol Airport on board a KLM flight…

Founded in 1891, Fazer is one of the most famous Finnish food companies, producing chocolate, cakes and confectionery since 1894. Whenever I visit Finland I always return home with a selection of their delicious chocolates so it was a perfect opportunity for me to learn more about the company and to sample a selection of…

Hotel Review Whilst visiting the Finnish capital of Helsinki it’s also a perfect opportunity to spend a couple of days exploring Porvoo.  Located 50 km east of Helsinki, it’s Finland’s second oldest city and its best preserved.  The small city is noted for its old wooden town, charming cobblestone streets and ochre painted riverside warehouses. …

Whilst staying in Helsinki recently we planned a two day Roundtrip Cruise to Stockholm.  Cruise ferries depart daily at 4.45 p.m. and arrive in Stockholm the next morning enabling visitors to spend a day in the Swedish capital before returning to the ferry for the return voyage. Embarkation: Tallink-Silja Line have two identical cruise ferries operating on…

Hotel Review: The Hague is The Netherlands’ third largest city after Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the administrative capital of the country.  It’s the home of the Dutch royal family, the government and the base for numerous international organisations.  Rich in history, art and architecture this compact city is the perfect location for a weekend city…

The Little Mermaid  Our final day in Copenhagen started with a stroll to the northern part of Copenhagen’s harbour to view Denmark’s most famous statue.  The bronze sculpture of the Little Mermaid is located just off the shore and has been sitting on a rock in the harbour for over a hundred years.  Despite its…

After an early breakfast at the Scandic Copenhagen we set off for a visit to Christiansborg Palace, one of the city’s premier attractions.  Located in Slotsholmen, the palace has an 800 year old history as Denmark’s centre of power. The present building was completed in 1928 and is used by the Royal Family for official events and for…

It’s always fun to explore somewhere new, so we woke with excited anticipation in readiness for our early morning Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport.  With a flight time of just 1 hour 45 minutes we were touching down at 10.45 a.m. local time. With Scandinavian efficiency, we passed through immigration and…

Mons is the capital of the Hainaut Province of Wallonia in southern Belgium and was awarded the European Capital of Culture in 2015 as it resembles an open-air museum with its wall murals, stunning architecture and heritage buildings. Getting there: To make the most of your weekend I suggest an early start. We took an…