Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008 - (Page 19)

CITY BREAK 2008 / destination n WINTER HOLIDAYS / business away from the cold and darkness of winter. Ever popular winter sun destinations include: Barbados, Antigua, Anguilla, Dominica, Cuba, Miami, Mexico, the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Dubai, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Zanzibar and South Africa, to name but a few. Travellers may also wish to make use of their time off during the festive period to discover new destinations and experience different cultures. Alternative festive holidays with On the Go Tours Pictured: 1. Liseberg Christmas market www. imagebank.sweden.se / Photographer Stig Kalvelid, Copyright SK & Liseberg 2. Livingroom at Icehotel www.imagebank.sweden.se / Photographer & Copyright Peter Grant 3. Christmas parade – Courtesy of Visit Denmark 4. Winter in the Old Town, East Jutland, courtesy of Visit Denmark ing forests and lakes en-route to the quaint Norwegian town of Henningsvaer. Other new excursions in Swedish Lapland this year include ‘Ranger Racing’ in 4-wheel electric buggies, ice fishing, ice diving, ten pin bowling on ice, curling and ice-skating. A trip to Sweden in winter wouldn’t be complete without a browse at the Christmas markets in the country’s major towns and cities. From 14 November to 23 December 2008, Christmas bargain hunters will find more than 80 rustic market stalls and shops selling arts, crafts and festive foods at Gothenburg’s Liseberg theme park, Scandinavia’s largest Christmas market. The park is decorated with almost five million twinkling lights and 700 Christmas trees, and boasts an ice rink complete with ice bar. Gothenburg’s ‘Lane of Light’ which runs more than 3km through the city centre from the theme park to the city’s art museum will be bigger than ever before, with a film and light show displayed on the art museum throughout the festive period. www.visitsweden.com Celebrate Christmas & New Year At Kempinski Hotel Dukes’ Palace Bruges Kempinski Hotel Dukes’ Palace, the first 5-star hotel in Bruges, Belgium, is inviting guests to fully embrace the Christmas spirit, with a Bruges Winter Wonderland Package, daily Christmas afternoon tea, traditional mulled wine and special Christmas and New Years Eve Dinners.There is no better time to visit the stunning medieval city of Bruges, with its cobbled streets and historic buildings, than over the Christmas period, when the city’s main square comes alive with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas market, at the centre of which is a beautiful ice rink and Europe’s only Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival is held in Station Square. Christmas Day and New Years Eve can be celebrated in style with a special dinner in Manuscript restaurant. An elegant atmosphere, impeccable service and gourmet cuisine will combine to create an unforgettable evening. Highlights of the menu include: goose liver terrine and sole fillet on Christmas Day and Carpaccio of langoustines and succulent dear veal on New Years Eve. On New Year’s Eve Bar Atelier will turn into a chic jazz bar, the perfect setting to swing in the New Year! www.kempinski-bruges.com Escape from the cold.…? However, not all travellers want to immerse themselves in the festivities and destinations traditionally associated with Christmas. Escapes to the sun are popular for northern Europeans who are desperate for a break This year, On the Go Tours, who specialise in itineraries combining culture with fun, invite travellers to try something different and celebrate the festive season in Petra, Jordan, or on safari in Africa, amongst other unconventional festive ideas. With itineraries ranging from 6 - 22 days, the first of the festive tours departs on 13th December, as Christmas mania gets into full swing back home. Those in search of sunshine can sail along the Nile in a felucca and scuba dive in the Red Sea or tame the Big 5 in Africa. Travellers who fancy bracing weather and snow can hop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, wrap up warm to bring in the New Year in Red Square or climb the Great Wall on Christmas day. Those after a bit of both can go to Morocco where they can ski one day and surf the next! Festive destinations include trips to Egypt, Russia, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, China, Africa, South America, India and Trans-Siberian journeys. The 11-day ‘Chinese New Year’ itinerary is a round-journey starting and finishing in Beijing. Visit some of the Forbidden City’s labyrinth of rooms, catch a glimpse of the Chinese traditional way of life in the hutong alleys and shop in the markets. Travellers on this tour will spend Christmas day climbing the Great Wall of China! From the capital city, this trip goes to Luoyang to visit the UNESCO World Heritage caves in Luoyang and then onto Xian to see the world famous Terracotta Warriors. New Year will be at the Ice Sculpture Festival in Harbin before travellers head back to Beijing on 1st January to return to the UK. The 9-day ‘Christmas, Kremlins & Tsars’ trip begins in Moscow and heads overland via the ancient town of Pskov to finish in St Petersburg. Visits include Red Square, the Kremlin and two parks (Sculpture and Gorki Park) in Moscow and the Hermitage Collection and the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. Christmas day will be spent in the Pskov area with the morning at the stunning 14th century Pechory Monastery and some alpine fun, and perhaps a little vodka too, awaits in the afternoon www.onthegotours.com www.travelnewseurope.com November 2008 TRAVEL NEWS EUROPE http://www.kempinski-bruges.com http://www.visitsweden.com http://www.onthegotours.com http://www.travelnewseurope.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008

Cover&Contents
NEWS
WTM News Pages
DESTINATIONS - Tanzania
DESTINATIONS - India
BUSINESS - Winter Holidays
BUSINESS - Exhibitions

Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008