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Jordan – how to organise a trip?

Gosia — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 22:11:42 +0000

Purchase budget flight tickets is just the beginning of the iceberg. Browsing the Internet to find relevant tips is time consuming and sometimes really boring thing. That’s why I’ve decided to write this post to collect all the most important infomation related to travel to Jordan. Visa and Jordan pass Flights to Jordan can be really cheap, especially from Poland or Germany, while on the spot you have to buy a visa that costs quite a lot because 40 JOD which is about 50€. The best solution is to buy Jordan Pass, which costs from 70 to 80 JOD (around 87 -100€). Jordan Pass includes the cost of the visa (on condition that we stay in Jodan minimum 3 nights) and free admission to 40 attractions. Jordan pass prices vary depending on the amount of days we want to devote to visiting Petra. Detailed information is available here. Accommodation First night we spent in Amman at a hotel called meaningfully Aljazeera Hotel Apartments. Unfortunately high rating at booking.com does not reflect reality. Our “suite” has seen better days, we had to force the receptionist to turn warm water on, however even with this facility taking the shower was a really “memorable” experience. In the area of Petra we spent a night at Petra Family House run by local family. We had a huge apartment with kitchen at our disposal. In the morning, we’re served a delicious, traditional breakfast. The incredibly hospitable and open owner of this apartment – Rizek also offers trips to Petra and other areas in Jordan, as well as mules or donekyes rides. The third night we spent in the middle of the Wadi Rum Desert. It was one of the main attractions during our trip, right after Petra. In the desert, there are a lot of camps of this type, at booking.com you can find many offers in price starting from 10€ per person. In the price of accommodation, it is usually included transport to the campsite and traditional Bedouin supper and breakfast. In addition, you can buy a desert tour with a local guide. Car rental There’s a lot of chain rentals at Amman Airport. Check out the post how to rent a car seamlessly. The main roads in Jordan are of decent quality, while the minor roads resemble those in Poland some years ago. While driving in Jordan you should pay attention to pretty high speed bumps, which are often unmarked, also on fast traffic routes. After experience in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, driving culture in Jordan positively surprised me. In larger cities like Amman, I expected an aggressive ride without any possible safety rules. Meanwhile, Jordanian drivers satisfactorily complied to the rules and were satisfactorily predictable in their actions. However, after all, it is necessary to take into account the influence of latitude on road conditions and therefore the southern temperament of the drivers. Electricity and the Internet In Jordan we didn’t have any problems with internet access. Wifi was available both at the hotel where we spent first night and in a private suite. One exception was the accommodation in the desert. When travelling to Jordan, it is worth the supply universal adpater, as there are several sockets types. Outfit Jordan is a Muslim country, and therefore it’s advisable to wear modest clothes here. In most places, women should have covered legs, arms and cleavage. Unlike Jordan women, it is not necessary to cover the hair, as it is widely recognised here that only Muslim women should cover it. One place which requires to cover up completely is King Abdullah Mosque in Amman. It is also the only mosque that allows the tourists visits. In the area of Petra, shorts and T-shirts are allowed and in the area of the Dead Sea and Red Sea, you can even don a swimwear. However, it is important to remember that despite the large amount of tourists in these areas, bikini still attracts a lot of attention. Weather The autumn – winter period is perfect for exploring Jordan, because of the optimal temperature. During our visit in November, in Amman was slightly over 20 centigrade while in the southern Jordan about 30 degrees. Unfortunately, in this period, the south of Jordan, and especially the area of the famous Petra are susceptible to flash floods. Sudden torrential rains create a wave of water, quickly flowing through narrow canyons and ravage everything in its path. Just before our arrival, there was a great wave of floods in Petra’s area that killed 11 people. The next day, part of the roads ware blocked, and in addition tourist attactions were closed as a sign of mourning. For this reason, we weren’t able to see some places from our tight itinerary. On the other hand, I can say that we had a lot of luck that arriving just after this flood. When planning your day trip here, it’s advisable to watch the weather forecast. Prices: Jordan is a relatively cheap country. Accommodation cost us aroun 10€ per person per night. The exception was the accommodation in the desert in the Bedouin camp, which cost 40€ including a 3-hour trip across the desert. As we travelled as a group of 5 people and bacause in just 3 days we wanted to see as much as possible, we rented the car. The total cost of rental Toyota 4-Runner with full insurance was 40€ per person. A big surprise for drivers can be fuel prices in Jordan. Although this country is located in the Arab Peninsula rich in oil, a litre of fuel costs here 1€. During our trip, we drove around 1000 km and the cost of fuel was about 25€ per person. Meal prices depend on the place. Dinner in a bar shouldn’t cost more than 7€ per person, while in better restaurant prices start from 10€. Details you can find on this website. Find out the next post about sightseeing in Jordan 🙂 fot. Monika Dąbrowska

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Girl on a Trail – one-day trip to Verona

Gosia — Tue, 22 May 2018 17:55:41 +0000

I guess everyone knows that feeling when you want to go somewhere for a while, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money and take day off from work. In such a situation, you can go somewhere in your beautiful country or just take a plane and within 4 hours’ time you can sit in a cafe sipping aromatic Italian cappuccino in Piazza Bra in Verona 😉 A little organisation… How to go to Verona for just one day, saving on accommodation? On the way from Warsaw to Bergamo I used Wizzair which flies very early in the morning (plane lands in Bergamo at 8.30 am). On the way back, I used Ryanair which takes off from Bergamo to the airport in Warsaw – Modlin in the evening (at 21.20). From the parking lot at the Bergamo Airport, there are many buses in the direction of Porta Nuova Station in Verona. Travel there takes about 2 hours. You can find it here. Verona is a rather compact city, which is why I think one day is enough to visit it. What is more, it is a very climatic and charming place, which can even compete with a beautiful Venice. To my mind, Verona may be an interesting alternative to Venice, mainly due to lower prices and a significantly fewer tourists. What is more, it is close, because only 100 km from Venice. Although in Verona there are no channels that are typical to Venice, it can boast a beautiful location on the Adige river, at the foot of the Venetian Alps. The tour can be started with Museo di Castelveccio (6 €) – defensive castle where the art museum is currently located. Next to the castle is Ponte Scaligero – a bridge with an interesting view of the city. After visiting the museum, go to Piazza Bra – the largest square in Verona, where the third largest amphitheatre in Italy is located. The amphitheatre is perfectly preserved. It can accommodate up to 25 000 viewers. There used to be bloody gladiator fights, and now various theatre plays are performed there. Verona’s popularity is mainly due to Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and juliet”. A visit to the city cannot go without visiting Julia’s House (admission fee 6 €). Julia’s house dates back 13th century and belonged to the Cappellos’ family, which was probably an inspiration to Shakespeare for the creation of the Capultes’ family. In the courtyard there is a statue of Julia. According to the legend touching her right breast guarantees happiness in love. Julia’s house in now converted to museum in which you can go to the balcony, known form the scene when Romeo swears Julia eternal love. Right next to Julia’s house is Piazza Delle Erbe – the central point of Verona. It’s surrounded by cafés, restaurants and townhouses ornamented in interesting way. An excellent view of the square and Verona can be seen from the nearby Torre dei Lamberti (admission 6 €). The Tower Tower reaches 83 metres and is the tallest building in Verona. Visit also Piazza dei Signori, an elegant square also known as “Verona Salon”, with the statue of Dante Alighieri in the central part. Go under the Arche della Costa – a bow where a real whale’s rib is hanged. Legend has it that, it will fall on whoever has never lied, it is worth adding that it has been hanging here since the 18th century. 😉 A beautiful view of Verona is also from the Ponte Pietra bridge and the Castel San Pietro with Teatro Romano. Something to eat Veneto is renowned for its excellent wines. Food in Verona is simple and very rich. Most famous dishes are: risotto and bigoli – pasta typical for Veneto traditional type of pasta is gnocchi – dumplings filled with potatos, served with stew from horsemeat. A very popular dish in the Veneto area is horsemeat. It can be prepared in various ways, but the traditional version is called patisada de caval. Patisada is horsemeat stew with wine, spices and vegetables, usually served with polenta. Polenta is a kind of hominy prepared from corn flour. This Dish can be eaten at restaurant II Punto Rosa, for about 15 €. In order to save on the tourist attractions and public transport, it’s worth buying Verona Card. Daily Card costs 18 € you can buy it via the Internet. How much does it cost? – flight Warsaw – Bergamo by Wizzair – 10 € – flight Bergamo – Warsaw Modlin by Ryanair – 10 € – ride flixbus Bergamo – Verona – Bergamo – 10 € Total cost – 30 € and optionally Verona Card for 18 € ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Tip for a trip – weekend on the Lake Como!

Gosia — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 16:03:04 +0000

What’s the best way to say good-bye to winter? Purchase a flight to Bergamo at a discounted price and in just 3 hours’ sip aromatic Italian cappuccino in a cosy cafe with a view of the famous lake Como. What can you visit there and how to organize this trip on budget? As a short introduction, there’s a lot to see, because Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy, right after lake Garda and Maggiore. What’s more is one of the most deepest lakes in Europe, in some places its depth reaches over 400 m. One can say that size matters, but in my humble opinion the sights play crucial role here… 😉 This place is located very close to Swiss border in the beautiful scenery of the Alps. Taking a ferry is a must, unforgettable experience is guaranteed! It’s the best to start the trip from Lecco, which is about 50 km north of Milan or Bergamo. Lake Como is shaped like revesed letter Y. Lecco is the gateway to this lake from eastern side while from western side is Como town. Lecco is a rather compact town, but incredibly charming. The main point in the city centre is the promenade of Lungolago Isonzo with a view of the nearby mountains and the characteristic high belfry of St. Nicolas church, which is the symbol of the city. The must – see is also the main square – Piazza XX Septembre, surrounded by colourful houses and arches with a tower – Torre Viscontea in the background. Lake Como has been a popular holiday resort since the oldest times reaching back as far as Roman Empire times. In fact, it is possible to say that the wealthy Romans started the trend of building luxury villas along the coastline of lake Como. Indeed, Roman times are gone but the lake has become a popular destination for numerous stars such as Madonna, George Clooney, Gianni Versace, Sylvester Stallone or Richard Branson. Towns located on the Lake Como are well-communicated. There are numerous ferries, boats and water taxis. It’s worth taking a cruise on the lake to see some of the luxury properties and the beautiful countryside. The most popular is by far Villa Serbelloni located in the small town of Bellagio. Who has watched Ocean’s Eleven film for sure reminds this name of a luxury hotel/casino located in Las Vegas. The inspiration for its creation was Bellagio town. Villa Serbelloni, as a matter of fact, the prestigious Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, is located close to the Bellagio tiny harbor, on the flowerful promenade. Villa from the inside is only available for hotel guests, but you can visit the hotel’s garden. The Bellagio is also called as the Pearl of the Lake Como and is located in its centre in close proximity to the most beautiful city in Lombardy – Varenna (here’s the post). In addition to Villa Serbelloni, it is worth taking a stroll and visiting historic old town with numerous colourful houses and upmarket boutiques. Getting to farry in the direction of Como, you can see the famous Villa Del Balbinello, well known form Casino Royale film, surrounded by a lush garden form the one side and from the other by the waters of the Lake Como. Practical Info: From Caravaggio Orio al Serio airport take a bus to Bergamo train station. Tickets can be bought at the tourist infomation desk at the airport or in the vending machine at the bus stop. Timetable, price and route can be found here. The route from the airport to the train station takes about 15-20 minutes, and the stop is located right in front of the station. [huge_it_maps id=”4″] Train tickets to Lecco can be bought at checkout or in a vending machine at the station. Tickets can also be purchased via the internet on this site. Trains run practically every hour, and travel to Lecco takes about 40 minutes. The ticket costs € 3,60 (data from 2018). From Lecco to Varrena – Esino run trains, the cost of the ticket is about € 2,90 (data from 2018 ), and a journey takes form 20 to 40 minutes depending from the train type. The timetable can be checked on the same page as the connection between Bergamo and Lecco. Below is the map with marked train station in Varenna and harbors in Varenna and Bellagio. [huge_it_maps id=”5″] Form Varenna take the ferry to Bellagio. Ticket costs 4,60 € (data from 2018), timetable you’ll find here. To get from Bellagio to Como, it’s best to get on the ferry. The schedule is available on the above mentioned site of Navigazione Laghi and the ticket costs 10,40 € (data from 2018). From Como S. Giovanni station catch a train to Bergamo. Ticket costs 6,70€, and the timetable is available on before mentioned Tren Italia site. [huge_it_maps id=”6″] What’s the total cost? – return flight tickets from Warsaw – 20 € – bus from Caravaggio Orio al Serio to Bergamo Bergamo train station – 2,30 € x 2 – train from Bergamo to Lecco – 3,60 € – train from Lecco to Varenna Essino – 2,90 € – ferry from Varenna to Bellagio – 4,6 € – ferry from Bellagio to Como – 10,40 € – train from Como do Bergamo – 6,70 € Total cost: 53 € As for one day it’s quite a lot to do, I did this trip in 2 days with a one – night stay in Lecco. The accomodation cost 25€, but there’s also possibilty to vist for example only Lecco, Varrenna and Bellagio, which in my opinion are the most beautuful.

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Oslo – 10 hours in the capital of Norway

Gosia — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 17:54:13 +0000

I was waiting for a long time to visit Oslo. Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so the options to buy cheap airline tickets didn’t persuade me to go there. The capital of Norway isn’t a large city and the tourist attractions are located mainly in the centre, so I thought that instead of booking the expensive hotel and staying there for a night, it would be better to spend a few hours instead. Unfortunately, as it turned out, flights from Warsaw were operated by Ryanair only in the late evenings. In theory, this fact wouldn’t be any problem for me, because I could sleep at the airport, but unfortunately Sandefjord-Torp Airport is closed for the night. That’s why I chose the following option: early morning flight from Gdansk operated by Wizzair and returning in the evening with Ryanair to Warsaw – Modlin airport – total cost of return ticket was around 10€. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the Sandefjord-Torp Airport is located more than 100 km from Oslo. That’s why you have to add to the total cost of the trip, another… 50 € 😉 (deatails here). However, don’t worry, it’s the only big expenditure of this trip. All right guys, so why you should visit Oslo? In my view Oslo is an interesting architecturally city in which modernity blends with natural Norwegian landscape in a surprising way. A typical example is the famous Opera House, one of the symbols of the capital of Norway. In fact, it’s very hard to say whether this building is impressive because of its distinctive look, resembling the glacier, or the fact that its construction cost 500 mln €. Going to the Opera roof is a must because from there you can see Oslo panorama as well as an interesting glass and steel structure, called “She Lies”, floating on water. Another interesting proposition is a cruise to the nearby islands. Oslo is located at the end of 100 km bay with more than 40 islands. To see part of this bay, the best bet is to use public transportation. The Ferry no. B3 operates from June to August between islands: Hovedøya, bleikøya, Gressholmen, Lindøya øst. A normal, ticket, bought in the machine, costs, 33 NOK but on the ferry 55 NOK in comparison the same trip but with organised cruise costs 300 NOK. The ticket for the ferry is valid for all means of transport. The shuttles leaves from the marina located in front of the City Hall. More info check here. From the ferry you’ll see Akershus fortress and the Castle. The entrance to the fortress is free of charge and there’s an interesting view of the port. Leaving the fortress, it is worth looking into a small square called Christiania Torv, surrounded by old, climatic townhouses. In the middle of the square is an interesting fountain that “points finger”, where Danish – Norwegian King Kristian IV decided to build a new city after the fire in 1624. On the other side of the promenade, there’s a modern section called Aker Brygge, where you can find a number of restaurants, bars and shops. Oslo is also the city of street art. To see local murals, visit the Grünerløkka. Small shops, climatic restaurants and ubiquitous murals, in a nutshell, nice place to relax and sip a drink. Nearby you’ll find so called “No man’s” street in Norwegian Ingens Gate. To get there, the best is to go Brenneriveien street that surprises by the number of interesting murals. However, Ingens Gate captivated me the most by a huge glass chandelier, hanging between buildings and climatic bars located by the river. Going across the bridge you can see the sculpture floating on the water, it just seems to be a swan, but when you look closer… 😉 Just a few steps further one can be moved to old Oslo times. On the steep, cobblestone Damstredet street you can see the colorful, old wooden houses. Na jedzenie najlepiej udać się do Mathallen. Można tutaj napić się kawy lub spróbować lokalnych specjałów. Ceny tutaj są nieco niższe w porównaniu do innych restauracji w Oslo i zawsze jest tu pełno ludzi. Foodies’ll find their place in Mathallen. You can drink excellent coffee here or try local specialities. Prices are little lower in comparison to other restaurants in Oslo, and there’re always a lot of people here. The second interesting place is the Ostbahnhallen – food market, located in the building of the former station. Undoubtedly, Oslo is a really expensive city but it can be visited in one day relatively cheap. In my opinion it’s very good destination for a short, weekend break, what do you think? ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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