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Top 6 cities to enjoy in mainland Europe

1. Siena, Italy

This picturesque town is often overlooked in favour of nearby Florence and Pisa, but this is definitely an Italian highlight. There are loads of great boutiques to shop in and some lovely cafes out in the open air. Go later in the summer – July and August – to see the historic Palio bareback horserace in the centre of town. This has been part of life here for over three centuries, based around Siena’s grand medieval plaza.

Siena

2. Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Pearl of the Adriatic is a small but perfectly formed medieval city perched beside the azure ocean. The entire city is so unique and full of so many ancient buildings that it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check out Pucic Palace, the Old Town and wander the cobbled streets to understand why. After you’re finished exploring dry land, take a yacht trip out into the bay to snorkel and relax on the little islands dotted around the bay.

Dubrovnik

3. San Sebastian, Spain

This seaside city overlooks the Bay of Biscay in Spain’s strongly independent Basque region. It’s also the European Capital of Culture for 2016, so expect there to be some build-up going on when you visit. San Sebastian is the kind of place to visit if you want to indulge yourself – there are six Michelin-starred restaurants, and a gourmet tapas bar on every corner. The beaches are beautiful with long sandy, stretches of sand sandwiched between rocky coves.

San Sebastian

4. Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a vibrant city beside Portugal’s Atlantic coastline. Like Rome, this huge city sprawls across seven hills. Its sheer size alone means there are loads of things to see and do. The vibe is laidback and the whitewashed buildings lining the cobbled alleyways are absolutely charming. You’ll find fantastic shopping, castles, museums, botanical gardens and lots more besides.

Lisbon

5. Perast, Montenegro

This amazing country has long been overlooked but now, more and more visitors to Europe are adding this green gem to their itinerary. Perast is a small town on the Bay of Kotor, and while not a city as such it has a lot to offer. Visitors can explore its Venetian heritage – baroque palaces, nineteen (yes, nineteen!) churches, and stunning architecture everywhere you look. Make the most of the excursions in the locality, including the popular boat trips to Our Lady of the Rock Island to peek inside its church and its intricate interior.

Perast

6. Nice, France

Head to the balmy French Riviera for a classic South of France experience. Nice is the place to admire super yachts and sip chilled wine with steaming bowls of mussels. Elegant and glamorous, this city is typically French. There are some lovely museums and art galleries, pebble beaches to relax on, a pretty old town to explore and cliffside walks to enjoy.

Nice

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All Skyplane Worldchoice Blogs Turkey

Turkey

dalamanAs a travel agent one thing we always hear from our customers when we mention Turkey, is that they’ve ‘never really fancied it!’.. And I must admit I had always thought the same. That is until my trip there last year, now i have been completely converted! I loved everything about it, from the welcoming locals, to the traditional food and the magnificent mountains & beautiful, sandy beaches.

I travelled with Anatolian Sky holidays and spent a week visiting all the resorts around the Dalaman area. After a stress-free arrival into Dalaman airport, where we swiftly collected our luggage and visas and enjoyed a relaxing private transfer to our first destination; a small tourist resort, Datca. We started our trip by checking into our first hotel The Perili Bay Resort, set right on the beach front, it was a hotel like nothing I’d ever seen before; an old mansion transformed into a hotel, keeping all the old features from the Ottoman, Seljuk and Renaissance period in – A really lovely experience! We were on All Inclusive and the food was to die for, all traditional Turkish cuisine, allowing me to sampled a whole581669_10152835822385346_769094549_n range of different food that i’d never even heard of before.

Over the next few days we visited more of the popular tourist sites in and around Datca, before moving on to our next destination; Akyaka, a cute-as-a-button village which sits at the tip of the bay of Gokova, 40 minutes’ drive north of Marmaris. It’s got forested mountains at its back door, and a sandy beach at its front. And you’re never far from the restaurant-lined Azmak river that wriggles through its middle. We checked into our next hotel, Yucelen. Here we visited the local market and met the locals, who were all extremely welcoming, along with buying some fresh, local delicacy.
Our next stop was Fethye, the resort i was looking forward to seeing the most! A cosmopolitan atmosphere, a rich history and fabulous restaurants and nightlife, it is a wonderful place to visit with a long and varied history. Here, we stayed in The Ocakkoy, A series of large, beautiful cottages with a traditional feel.
We ended the trip in my most favorite place of all! Kalkan. A resort that I genuinely cannot recommend enough to anybody looking for a lovely, relaxing holiday in a tranquil place with views to die for; A lovely old fishing village which is penned into a small space by mountains. Here, we stayed at the Oasis. A small and very modern hotel with service a cut above the rest.

Finally, we ended an unforgettable week with a boat trip to ‘The sunken city.’ we sailed to a series of different bays, where the boat stopped off allowing us all to jump in and cool of from the hot sun. We even managed to see some turtles in the clear, turquoise waters!

I would recommend Turkey to anybody, it has something for all ages.amber in turkey

 Location: Europe & Asia

 

Capital City: Ankara

 

Area: 780,580 square km, 301,382 square miles.

 

Language(s): Turkish

 

Currency: Lira

You must now apply for Turkish visas before arrival, and will last for a duration of 90 days