suggestions for my Around The World trip in June-August 2010

[Alanslegal]

Hi there,

I have finally completed booking transportation for my Around The World trip and now need some tips/suggestions/thoughts on what to do in each place; where to stay; where to eat; things to see. Any suggestions you can give is hugely welcome.

Places I’ll be visiting include:-

coughet, Bangkok (Thailand)
Cairo (Egypt)
Barcelona, Pamplona (Spain)
Marseille, Nice (France)
Monte Carlo (Monaco)
London (UK)
Las Vegas, Dallas, Anchorage, Chicago, New York (USA)
Vancouver (Canada)

Even though this trip is still over four months out, visiting so many places in the one trip and with SO much planning needed is making me feel a bit overwhelmed, and it still feels I have SO much more to do. So this is where I am hoping you guys/gals can give me a quick hand, point me into some directions, let’s assume that I have not been to any of the above places and what you would do as a first time visitor.

Also I am thinking of a side trip to a beach-y resort type destination eg. Cancun (Mexico) to wind back and relax just before my huge flight home JFK-SYD. Any other easy-ish suggestions ex-NYC ?

Thank Q in advance

 

[Natt]

Hi there,

Even though this trip is still over four months out, visiting so many places in the one trip and with SO much planning needed is making me feel a bit overwhelmed, and it still feels I have SO much more to do.

I know this feeling - even though its something you want to do, and its great - you still feel "out of place"

Anyway instead of cancun, have you thought about a cruise?

There seems to be a lot of cheap ones to the Bahamas etc

That might be a way to chill before the last big flight

 

[kiwitripper64]

Sounds like a great trip. In NYC if you want to visit staue of liberty you must book in advance, and if you want to get to her head you have to book waaaaay in advance.
Read up on Gaudi beore the Barcelona trip. He has such an influence on the character of city. And the Montjuic fountain at night. I dont think it has music every night, so do some research there.
London. Who is going and what do they want to do. You will find it here. The whole family enjoyed Tower of London ( get in as early as possible), Tait modern and Greenwhic observatory.
Las Vegas is just a circus. Anywhere that closes the hotel pools while it still daylight in a desert must be a bit obsessive. But the hotels have decided that it is time for all the consumer units to come inside and start to spend some money. But it is cool. If you have time take a flight up to the Grand canyon south rim. You could do a sceinic flyover or land at south rim, take taxi to canyon, have a decent walk and get home for dinner.

 

[Alanslegal]

Thanks to all so far

I have already booked my flights using a mix of single flights and part of a dONE4 ex-LHR

I just to need to work out what to do on the ground If it helps suggestions, tips & ideas on what to do in Vancouver, Anchorage, Barcelona and Nice would be a good start

 

[Alanslegal]

my flight route is this;-

SYD-HKT-BKK-CAI-BCN-PNA-BCN//NCE-LHR-xLAX-LAS-DFW-ANC-ORD-YVR-JFK-SYD

 

[Natt]

Thanks to all so far

I have already booked my flights using a mix of single flights and part of a dONE4 ex-LHR

I just to need to work out what to do on the ground If it helps suggestions, tips & ideas on what to do in Vancouver, Anchorage, Barcelona and Nice would be a good start

Re Vancouver : we plan to hire a car and head to calgary, then loop back via glacier national park (I hope)

a bit like this trip actually
See the REAL Canada with Intrepid Travel

Re Anchorage - we plan to go aurora hunting but you are there a little early I think

There are lots of great looking train trips though, and the roads might still be clear enough to head "far north"

can't help with the others though

 

[kpc]

Hi Alan, Re Barcelona: have a look at this trip report.
SIN-MXP-BCN by 77W and a revieW of W Barcelona - SQTalk

It covers all the sights you need to see in Barcelona; I used it to help my sightseeing in Barcelona last Nov. I might also add Montjuic for a great view over Bracelona. Bar Inopia which you see mentioned is an excellent choice for dinner / modern tapas! IIRC not open Sundays (pls check). If you go, be there about 15-20 minutes prior to the 7 pm opening to avoid long Qs; no bookings are taken.
inopia classic bar

 

[drron]

It does depend a little on how long you are staying in each of these places.
Anchorage-really not much,a nondescript place.Far better to hire a car and head to Denali.If you have a while then drive from there to Fairbanks and come back the easterly road-maybe to Valdez and get the ferry back.If you had time fly into Kennecott-an amazing place.
Barcelona-loved it but you have to like Gaudi.From my TR-
The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community - View Single Post - From Broken hill to the Amazon jungle.
The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community - View Single Post - From Broken hill to the Amazon jungle.
The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community - View Single Post - From Broken hill to the Amazon jungle.
Vancouver-really cant help you.Most people love the place-we nearly got mugged the first night so left the place.Driving and the Glacier NP are reccomended.If going to Glacier go into the US section of the park and drive the Road to the Sun-spectacular.

 

[Kangarucci]

for my Around The World trip in June-August 2010

In NY we rode the Hop On Hop Off bus to the major sights. Took the free Staten Island ferry to cruise past the Statue of Liberty. Central Park (Strawberry Fields), the Dakota Building, up the Rockefella Center for a fantastic view over the city and Central Park, Central Station, Ground Zero, Stock Exchange, caught a Broadway show-Mary Poppins. Next time maybe the US Open and a baseball game.

Vancouver- hired bikes and rode around Stanley Park, caught a water taxi over to Granville Island (basically an arts/craft market, shops not stalls but has food/green grocer). Caught the ferry over to Vancouver Island to see Buchardt Gardens, beautiful and had afternoon tea there, lovely.

Hope that this has given you some ideas.

Cheers

 

[docjames]

my flight route is this;-

SYD-HKT-BKK-CAI-BCN-PNA-BCN//NCE-LHR-xLAX-LAS-DFW-ANC-ORD-YVR-JFK-SYD

Hiring a car for BCN-NCE might be a good option as driving up from BCN, there's a heap of things to do in beautiful countryside out of toulouse (my parents did this in reverse last year, into TLS, out of BCN), then you could head back to the coast and wind your way along to Marseilles, Cannes, Nice and the hills inland from there. If you have time, San Remo is easily visited from Nice/Monte-Carlo. Leave the car in Nice and just train it to/from Monaco for the day (cheap and easy).

I love Nice btw - would happily go back again and again to that part of the world.

 

[rodbarry]

Note that you have Anchorage as one of your stops. Suggest you have a look at the AMHS (Alaska Marine Highway Service) web-site. It is a bit coughbersome but if you get it right you will thoroughly enjoy travelling on a vehicular ferry up and/or down the Alaskan coast. You can stop off at various ports for a day or so at a time and plan to be at sea when it suits you most. The facilities are good, the cabins fine,the food mediocre, and the scenery absolutely fantastic. Wildlife sightings can be good too.
Don't go to the expense of a regulated cruise,when you can go the same way and meet some real travelers.

 

[Alanslegal]

yep we have hired a car for the coastal drive from Barcelona to Marseille to Nice - so that should be relaxing scenic drive I hope.

thanks for those suggestions rodbarry and welcome to AFF to you and kangarucci

we currently have 5 nights in Anchorage, Vancouver so we can do a bit of sightseeing / driving / tours etc.

and thanks to everyone so far, great info.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Sounds like a great trip. In NYC if you want to visit staue of liberty you must book in advance, and if you want to get to her head you have to book waaaaay in advance.
.

I think the head has been closed since 9/11.

If you only have a couple od days in NYC I would make do from viewing it from a ferry. Staten Island Ferry is free and gives an ok view. On the weekends the "Ikea" ferry is also free to geta view of the statue and the NYC skyline.

Visit the Empire State Building later in the day when queues are much shorter than the morning. You can buy tickets in advance to skip the ticket purchasing line.

Katz Deli www.[B]katz[/B]deli.com for breakfast.

Take you pick of any of a thousands of bars at night. Seems to be one every 30m!!!

Grab tickets to Broadway. My last trip in Nov we took in Witches, Phantom, Westside Story and Chicago....often only paying $50 to get seats 8 rows from the front. We found better seats for better prices direct from the Theatres rather than TKTS which had worse seats for more.

Walk a bridge or two.

The "Highline" is also a great walk. Is an old elevated trainline that is now a liner park with good views.

Have a sundae at the Empire Dinner The Empire Diner

The subway is greatand makes it easy to get all over the City.. Just hop on and and off and watch the passing parade of New Yorkers.

 

[Alanslegal]

I have been to NYC a few times already so won't really need info on that, my last visit was May 2009 and I wrote up it up somewhere in my last trip report. I have also been to Chicago and Las Vegas, so North America is kind of all Ok for me except for Vancouver and Anchorage visits (but Ive got some good pointers now though) For Dallas is more like a 2 day transit, it was a good point arrival/departure point, and a visit to the W Dallas so I am not really fussed what to do in such little time.

I'm even tempted to skip NYC purely because it's the tailend of a long trip and I'd rather be on the beach, enjoying a coughtail and taking it smoothly, than jumping into the crowds of Time Square. Currently am thinking of Cancun (mexico) or just heading down to Florida. Maybe The Bahamas? Jamaica? I don't know, I've only got 6 days to spare for this.

I'm not a cruise type person, never been actually, but do they depart from NYC? Or do I have to make my way south to Florida etc?

 

[Postcode]

Not sure how long you have planned for the Nice area but I spend at least a month or two in Provence each year and can never get enough. Marseille is worth a few days at least. I love the place. The city is genuinely interesting with heaps to do. The locals are friendly and welcoming and it's a great stepping stone to Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Arles and so on. All worthwhile. Easily done by rail or car.

You could spend weeks exploring the towns and cities along the coast and inland on the way to Nice. Monaco is OK for a half day trip if you have to. If you haven't been there just go. The changing of the guard at the palace is worth of a visit and starts at 11.55 am each day. If you are a boatie check out the marina and drool.

From Nice I don't worry about trains or car hire. You can catch a regional bus from the bus station in Nice to anywhere with comfort in the region for 1€ which is a great deal. No parking probs and buses are clean and frequent. Don't forget the food, wine, people watching, music, coffee, and amazing old towns and cities with rabbit warren like streets to explore. Every town has a street market a few days a week so go and check out what the locals eat and drink.

I've been back in Oz for three weeks and already looking at booking a flight back to NCE and soon. Provence is one place in the world where they do have the art of living down to a very fine and enjoyable art.

I second the above post about the drive from BCN as well.

 

[Natt]

I'm not a cruise type person, never been actually, but do they depart from NYC? Or do I have to make my way south to Florida etc?

I have never cruised before either - so hopefully it suits us

there is actually cruises that head from New York to the Bahamas and back, but it sounds like you don't quite have enough time

I used cruise.com for finding cruise (booked them in Australia though) - link to NY cruises is

Home Ports