The world is full of festivals, and more seem to emerge each year. Some revolve around music, some around food and drink, some live performances, and some holidays. But all of them, or at least all of the big ones, have one thing in common: they’re incredible cultural showcases. So, on your next tour to Europe, make sure to visit one of these great festivals.
Florence seems to have it all. Great art, fantastic architecture, gelato, and of course, great restaurants. There are few cities in Italy that have better restaurants to select from. On our small group tours to Italy, it's always a hard choice as where to eat. Check out my two picks for great restaurants to eat in while in Florence.
After my initial visit to Norway, it quickly became one of my favorite travel destinations. Oh yes, everyone thinks it is outrageously expensive, but it is a lot less expensive than Iceland and only a little bit more expensive than Italy or France. In any case, Norway is full of natural beauty, cultural richness, good food and wonderful people. We now regularly offer a small group tour to Norway. Read my blog post and find out my favorite cities in Norway.
Sometimes it's not necessary to stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel in Florence to find something that is well-located, clean, comfortable and quiet. There are good deals to be found at reasonable rates. In today's blog post we have two picks for inexpensive hotels in Florence, Italy. If you have traveled with The Professor one one of his small group tours, you may recommend one of the selections. Check out all of The Professor's picks for inexpensive hotels in Florence in this blog post.
High-speed train travel in Europe is wonderful. Travelers can expect new and modern trains. Speeds of 150-180 MPH are not uncommon, whisking travelers from city center to city center without the hassle of security procedures like those found at airports. Seating is comfortable. The views can be terrific. Costs can be significantly less than flying by air. Check out The Traveling Professor's tips on buying train tickets in Europe.
Italy is a beautiful and diversified country. Great food, history, culture, architecture and more. The big problem with Italy is that the crowds have become overwhelming. It's not uncommon to wait for hours to get into the Vatican Museum in Rome or the Accademia to see David in Florence. The streets of Venice are packed with tourists, many from cruise ships. Who wants to go on vacation and be in the press of humanity or wait in line for hours? Listen to The Traveling Professor on how to beat the crowds in Italy.
Lodging is probably the most expensive component of any trip and one of the most important factors in making a trip successful. Over the years, through his small group tours or booking hotels personally, The Traveling Professor has lots of experience in booking hotels. Look at The Professor's blog post today and save yourself a few bucks on your next hotel booking and maybe even get a better hotel (and perks) than you ever thought you could.
So far, The Traveling Professor has done 3 small group tours to Iceland. But what are the best things to do in Iceland? Iceland can be enjoyed just about any season and there are admittedly more activities to do outdoors than indoors. Check out The Traveling Professor's blog post on the 4 best things to do in Iceland, and I have also added in some bonus seasonal activities to do while in Iceland.
Earlier this month, The Traveling Professor sent out a questionnaire to all mailing list members and all social media (Facebook and Twitter) followers. Hundreds and hundreds of email subscribers completed the questionnaire. The answers were revealing. We learned who our subscribers are. We learned where they wanted to take our small group tours to. We learned what they liked (and didn't like) about The Traveling Professor's small group tours. Check out the results in the travel blog post. You will be surprised!